Camp Silver Lake
by TheHunterPersian
Summary: Camp Silver Lake has a reputation for being one of the best Summer Camp's on Mobius, with plenty of campers. One such camper is Jet, who's summer changes when he meets Storm, a new member to the camp. While they got along as friends as the days go by, things change completely when new feelings arise... Jetorm summer camp AU
1. Welcome to Camp

**_(AN: Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Hi everybody! I may have been gone for a two month hiatus, but now I'm back, and lemme just say, get ready for June because I'm gonna post a lot more new content!_**

 ** _Starting off with June, I give you a fic I actually wrote almost two years ago... a Jetorm summer camp AU! This was one of my earliest multi-chapter fics, and I'm not gonna lie, I think I did good for my first try. Now, I will say that because this is my earlier works, this fic... is gonna be a lot more cheesier (in my eyes XD) then some of my latest work now. I edited a LOT of stuff, but that doesn't mean the possible cheesiness isn't gonna be there XD But oh well, there's like only one multi-chaptered Jetorm fic out there, so I might was well make this number 2. And t_** ** _his story, much like Transfer, will be updated every Saturday this summer._**

 ** _Anyway, before we head on to the fic, a HUGE shoutout to doodle-kitty-cat on tumblr for providing the cover image for this story! I really love how this came out, and I give massive thanks to them! Check out their tumblr if you can! I'd also like to thank Roxy1049 for letting me use the name of one of her Sonic OC's for this story._**

 ** _So, with that out of the way, let's start off this summer right! I hope you enjoy!)_**

* * *

 _"Sometimes, I'm blessed with the life I live right now. I have a loving husband, leader of a band of thieves which doubles as an Extreme Gear team, and the assurance that two of the greatest people I know are always with me._

 _But occasionally, I have to remind myself that it didn't just happen in one day. After thinking about it again, I think its best if I remember how this came to be._

 _This is the story about my time in Camp Silver Lake, a summer camp, and how my life changed forever the day I met… HIM."_

* * *

The bus to Camp Silver Lake finally rolled up to the main gates after hours on the road. Several of the boys, kids and teenagers alike, were chattering loudly about their plans during the time they would spend at the popular summer camp.

One of the boys, a fourteen year old green hawk named Jet, watched the wheels of the bus roll on the mud. Since he was ten, his parents (or, father in the present case) sent him to Camp Silver Lake for the summer, and while Jet enjoyed his time there, he was hoping for something different, something to make his time at Silver Lake much more… enjoyable. The last time he had been to Silver Lake, it hadn't been anything to write home about, so Jet had his fingers crossed for something new.

At last, the bus stopped, and the bus driver opened up the door to let the Scoutmaster of the camp, an orange lion, climbed on board.

"Welcome boys, each and every one of you, to Camp Silver Lake, the most popular summer camp here on Mobius! While you're here, I expect all of you to have a great time this summer, because that's what we strive at here at camp. Now, I will give you a few handouts, mainly a map of the area, and your schedule."

The Scoutmaster began to pass out handouts to all the boys on the bus.

"Now, depending on your age, you will be assigned to a certain cabin. For boys ages 6-8, you'll go to Cabin A. For ages 9-11, Cabin B. For ages 12-14, Cabin C. And finally, for ages 15-17, Cabin D. Before you head off however, you need to sign up with the camp counselor you have. You'll see them at a desk with the cabin letter you have. After you've signed up, and arrived at your cabin, pick out an empty bunk. This will be your bed for your time here. The camp counselors shall guide you from there."

 _"Well, looks like I'm in Cabin C. Hope I get good cabin mates this year,"_ thought Jet. He remembered how last year's cabin mates were very loud and obnoxious, at least, according to the hawk.

"Well, now that you have all your necessities, and now that I've rambled for too long, you're free to go!"

The Scoutmaster walked away as all the boys began to gather their materials and got off the bus in a single file line. Jet took his small little duffle bag as he walked off the bus, smelling the fresh smell of dirt (something the hawk enjoyed). After hours of being cramped up in a bus, the smell of the outside was soothing to Jet. He decided to make a move on, feeling his feathers moving in the soft breeze.

Walking along the dirt path to the center of the camp, Jet looked to the right and saw the bus for the girl's camp pass by (the boys and girls were separated to different camps, their camp being across the large lake). Turning his attention back forward, Jet saw various stalls with the letters A on one, B on another, C on another, and D on the last. Going to C, the hawk waited in line for what seemed like forever.

 _"Jeez, you guys are slower than my pet rock!"_ Jet thought to himself.

Since he was the son of the legendary Extreme Gear racer, and thief, Turbulence, the green avian prided on speed quite a lot, as such, being in a line as slow as the one in front of him made Jet wonder about different ways on how to tell people to hurry up.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jet reached the counter, where a male lynx stood on a chair, holding a clipboard.

"Name?" he asked.

"Jet. Jet the Hawk."

He wrote down his name on the clipboard. "Alright… Jet… I'm Mido. I'm gonna be your camp counselor for your time here at Camp Silver Lake. Let's get my only rule out of the way first: don't cause me trouble and I won't cause you trouble. You got it?"

Jet nodded.

"Good. Anyway, now that you're signed up, head on over to Cabin C," Mido pointed towards the various cabins. "It's over-"

"I was here last year, and the year before that, AND the year before that, **AND** the year before that. I know my way dude," Jet interrupted. Mido was taken aback.

"Well, looks like I don't need to explain, now do I?" Mido looked cross with the hawk. "Just… go to Cabin C,"

The hawk walked passed Mido as he reached the four main cabins. "Cabin C… Cabin C…" Jet said to himself. He finally found a cabin with a large "C" on the top of the door.

"There we go," Jet smirked as he walked up to the door. He turned the handle and opened it as he saw the various mobian preteens messing around with their moments of freedom.

Avoiding their presence, the hawk found an empty bunk near a few other kids. Laying down his stuff, he lay on his bed and laid his hands on his blue shirt.

 _"Well, here I am. Time to make this a summer that I'll remember… at least, how am I gonna go about doing that?"_ Jet said to himself, sighing.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around here."

Jet got up and looked to his side, seeing a shark, roughly around the age of thirteen, resting on the edge of his bed.

"I've seen him around here," Jet turned to his other side to see an armadillo with a blue shell behind him.

"Really now? I could have sworn I've seen him a few times, but I'm not sure…" said a brown cat walking over to the shark and armadillo

"Say there, guy," said the shark. "What's your name?"

"Jet. It's Jet," Jet replied. Who were these people and why were they talking to him?

"Jet huh? Cool name. I should introduce you to my friends, shouldn't I? The blue armadillo here? This is Eryx."

Eryx grinned as he waved.

"Anyway, this is Nezbitt," The shark said, pointing at the cat.

"At your service, Mr. Jet," Nezbitt jokingly said.

"And finally, you got me; Duke."

"Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx… pretty cool names guys. Well, hello to each and every one of you," said Jet, becoming a bit friendlier.

"Say, since we'll be stuck here for a while, how 'bout we become friends? Three can be a crowd, but not for me. More bros to hang out with is always good."

"Well, sure I guess. I mean, I don't really have a lot of friends here, so having some new ones won't hurt."

"Not a social person?"

"I am, just that I don't really talk to a lot of people here. They don't really spark my interest."

"Well, that's changed now. Starting today, you Jet, have joined our squad. Now-"

Suddenly, a bell began to ring, interrupting what Duke was going to say.

"Well, there's the lunch bell," He said suddenly.

"Already? I guess everyone's signed up. That really didn't feel like it lasted long…" Eryx commented.

"Boy, I dunno about you, but I could sure have something to eat. I haven't even had breakfast today," Jet said as he got up, stretching.

Mido came into Cabin C and announced lunch, telling everyone to go to the mess hall. Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx made their way out of Cabin C as Jet got up from his bunk and followed behind the shark, the cat, and the armadillo.

* * *

Grabbing a plate and a bottle of milk, the lunch ladies behind from the counter prepared a sloppy joe and placed it on Jet's plate.

 _"Look at that, the food doesn't look like crap this year,"_ The green avian thought.

The hawk began to look for a table, turning his head left and right. He did see the table where Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx were sitting; however the entire table was full. Grumbling, Jet sat at the nearest empty table and began to eat his sloppy joe. After taking one bite however, he heard a gruff, yet croaky voice from behind him.

"Hey, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Jet turned and saw a grey albatross in front of him. Much like himself, this avian had on a blue shirt and grey shorts; however this albatross was larger and bulkier than he was. His arms and legs were wider, more muscular, and his plumage was more defined.

"Oh… uhh, sure I guess." Jet replied, eying around the area.

"Thanks."

The albatross sat down right next to Jet; making him feel uncomfortable due to his size. Without a doubt, he came from Cabin D. Why someone from Cabin D wanted to sit with someone from Cabin C, Jet didn't know.

"I couldn't help but feel like you looked lonely. Hope you don't mind if I gave you company," The albatross said.

 _"Well, he worried about me. Guess I may as well be friendly,"_ Jet thought.

"Thanks... I guess... What's your name anyway?"

"Storm. What about you?"

 _"Storm… that's a pretty cool name…"_ Jet said to himself. He then looked at Storm. "Jet. That's my name."

"Hmm, Jet. I like that name."

The hawk smirked. "Heh, thanks man. A lot of people say my name is cool."

Storm grinned back in response.

It was the second time today someone had complimented Jet's name. Already the hawk knew that this year's camping trip was going to be better than the usual ones. It made him want to celebrate.

 _"But that's for another day."_

As the two continued to eat, Jet decided to continue the conversation, finding himself becoming more comfortable with Storm's presence.

"So, how long have you been here, Storm? This is the first time I've seen ya," Jet asked.

"Actually, this is the first year I came here. I went to a different summer camp last year, but it shut down this year. Naturally, I decided the next best place is to go here."

"Wow. Which one did you go to?"

"Pasty Fields. Run of the mill, but I liked it."

"Yeah, I heard that place was really chill. Well, since you're new here, and I'm a regular here, I could probably teach you a few things about this place, what to do, where to go, who to avoid, that kinda thing."

Storm smiled. "You mean it?"

"Sure thing, pal. We're friends now after all."

"Heh, I think I'm gonna like it here."

As the two avians finished their lunch, Jet couldn't help but find himself being happy. Even though Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx were good friends already, something about Storm made things a lot different. He knew that from here on, he and Storm were going to be best friends.

After Jet placed his plate on the conveyor belt for the ladies to wash (Storm following after Jet), the scoutmaster ironically to call for all plates, signaling the end of lunch. Since the hawk and albatross already did that, they had gone outside.

"Where's the scoutmaster?" Storm asked.

"Storm, he's twenty steps behind from us. Besides, we're not really doing anything right now," Jet replied.

"Oh… sorry, I didn't see him. I'm not the brightest guy around, heh heh."

Storm rubbed the back of his head and grinned, making Jet smile in response.

"So… what do we do?" The large grey avain asked.

"Well, from my time here, things on the first day are kinda dull and slow cause we do basically nothing. How's about we talk some more? Get to know each other a bit more so to say." replied Jet.

"Sure, man!" responded Storm. The two found a log to sit on and began their talk.

"So, um, what do you do for fun, Storm?" asked Jet.

"Uhh, well I like to play video games, work out, ride Extreme Gear, and-"

"Whoa, you ride Extreme Gear?" Jet felt himself becoming excited at the mere mention of Extreme Gear.

"You do?"

"Heck yeah! I love Extreme Gear! I pretty much ride mine like every day back home. I have my own custom model my dad got me. I called it 'Type-J',"

"Heh heh, you're excited, Jet! I don't blame you, Extreme Gears are awesome. You know, it's ironic about your custom model 'Type-J'. I got a custom model one too, and I called it 'Type-S'."

"Whoa, that's kinda weird! It's like we had both the same thing in mind," Jet chuckled.

"Yeah, that is pretty ironic. That's why I brought it up."

"You my friend, I think we've just become best friends. Starting today, you are now the friend of Jettison Q. Hawkington! …just don't call me that, for Chaos' sake…"

Storm laughed. "You're really funny, Jet! I won't."

Jet smiled once again.

 _"Okay, this guy is getting more and more amazing the longer I talk to him,"_ He thought to himself.

"Hey hey, how about when we leave camp, I'll challenge you to a race to see who's the fastest. Just to let you know, it'll be me! You won't beat The Legendary Wind Master! As I've never lost a race!"

"That's your nickname?"

"Yeah. Made it up myself while bored two summers ago. My dad approves of it a lot."

"You talk about your dad quite a bit."

"Yeah, he's the main reason I'm into Extreme Gear's. He even has a huge name for himself in the community, so if I lost, I'd have my head for it."

"Large following? Hmm… you know, when I look at you more… hang on, let me ask, is your dad's name Turbulence?"

"Yeah… why?"

Storm's eyes widened. "Woah! You're Turbulence's kid? I love Turbulence! He's such a cool racer, no wonder you looked like him!"

Jet laughed as he saw Storm bouncing in place. He found it amusing that Storm was fangirling over his father. "I didn't know you were a huge fan. Man, wait 'till dad hears THIS. I'll be sure to tell him, don't worry. And well, now that you know who I'm related to, you still wanna race me?"

"Y-Yeah! Although, I have REAL competition now…"

"That's just one of the reasons I love riding Extreme Gear, Storm."

As the two avians continued their Extreme Gear conversation, Eryx, Nezbitt, and Duke came up to them.

"Well well, Jet, looks like you made a new friend. Who's the big guy?" asked Duke.

Jet looked up at the shark. "Oh! This is Storm, he's from Cabin D."

Storm embarrassingly waved at the three. "Heh heh, yeah, that's me."

"Well hello to you too, Storm," said Eryx and Nezbitt at the same time.

"Say, Storm, how old are you anyway?" asked Duke, arms crossed.

"Uhh, 16."

"Hmm, pretty interesting. One more year until they no longer allow you to come back, that's a shame. I say to make your time here good, Summer Camp doesn't last forever, you know."

Duke then turned to face the hawk. "Anyway Jet, me and the guys are gonna head out to the lake to skip stones. Wanna come? Storm can join us if he wants"

"Well, do you wanna come along, Storm?" asked Jet.

The albatross shrugged. "I guess. I haven't skipped stones in a few years."

He then got up from where he was sitting. "Lead the way then."

* * *

Down by the lake, the five boys had a skipping stone contest. While it seemed that Nezbitt would have won judging from the first three rounds, Storm ended up winning overall.

"Nice job, Storm!" congratulated Jet, jumping up to high five him.

"Thanks, Jet!" Storm replied with glee.

"You did great, really!" said Eryx.

Duke began to look at the sky, noticing that the sun was setting by the minute.

"Hey guys, it won't be long until they call us back to camp for dinner time. After that, we can't head anywhere for the rest of the night. We should hurry on back before we get chewed out," Duke said.

"Alright, let's head back then!" Nezbitt exclaimed.

As the five boys walked back to their camp, a loud noise was heard, startling Jet and Nezbitt.

"What was that?" Jet exclaimed. He felt his feathers rise up as another loud sound pierced from the woods. Nezbitt jumped up in the air, as did Jet.

As they fell to the ground, Storm, Duke, and Eryx looked around for the culprit. They heard what sounded like multiple girls giggling.

"Ugh, it's the girls from the girl's camp," Duke spat.

Storm could hear footsteps from the forest as he caught glimpses of some of the girls. A giraffe, an alligator, a bear, a purple swallow-

Wait…

 _"No… don't tell me SHE'S here!"_

Storm began to growl, knowing immediately who the swallow girl was. However, the albatross didn't want to focus on that. Instead, he went and got Jet and Nezbitt off the ground.

"You OK?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Jet and Nezbitt. The two wiped grass off from their shirts and shorts.

"Lo and behold, it was some of the girls. Probably getting revenge for what we did last year," said Duke.

"What did you do last year?" The albatross asked.

"We like to call it the 'Spreading bugs across the girl's camp' plan, made after a group of boys were humiliated by some of the girls during an activity we did. Boy, how the scoutmaster never let THAT event down," said Eryx.

"Oh yeah, I remember that," said Jet. "I was sick at the time though… so I didn't get things as bad as the rest of you guys did. I didn't even know he was sour about it."

"Trust me dude, that guy is salty about like, everyone and everything. Boy, I wonder how it would be like married to him. Wonder how his wife feels," Duke commented, garnering a chuckle from Nezbitt and Eryx.

"Anyway… let's head back to camp," Storm said.

The five returned back to camp and into the mess hall, where dinner was just beginning. After being served a dinner of sausages with potatoes, Jet, Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx found a table for the five of them to sit and ate away at their meals, having small talk.

Thirty minutes later, plates were called and the boys were released outside to the courtyard in front of the podium, where the scoutmaster had come to talk to everyone.

"Well boys, everything involving signing up has been completed! From here on out, looks like we have another exciting year at camp ahead of us. We already went over the rules on the bus, but just to clarify… be on your BEST behavior," The scoutmaster lectured. He looked at Duke, who was the main perpetrator of the bug incident last year.

"Looks like he's really is still mad about last year," whispered Nezbitt to the shark. Jet, Storm, and Eryx bust into small chuckles.

"Now, today was simply a slow day, but in three days, we will be starting our main activities for the different cabin groups, with the occasional full participation activity. As I said, depending on your Cabin letter, you will have a different activity. In this case, Cabin A will be doing swimming. Cabin B will be doing woodcarving. Cabin C will be doing fishing. And Cabin D will be hiking."

"Oh man, I suck at fishing," said Eryx. "Just what I need…"

Nezbitt on the other hand, had become giddy at the mere mention of fish. "F-F-F-Fish… Y-Y-Yes… Fishing… Fishing makes me wanna EAT ALL THE FISH IN THE GREAT SEA!" Nezbitt giggled insanely. Jet and Storm looked at the cat like he was crazy.

"Um… is he okay?" asked Jet.

"Don't worry about him; he gets like that whenever he sees fish. Trust me, I don't get it either," replied Duke.

"Well… while you're dealing with an insane cat, looks like I'm hiking," said Storm.

"Awh man, I was hoping you could be with our group," Jet said in a disappointed tone.

"Yeah, same. Don't worry, maybe in the future."

Storm smiled at the green avian as Jet grinned in response.

The scoutmaster went on. "As for the next two days, they'll be full participation days. Tomorrow, we'll be having a bonfire, so we'll be collecting fire wood most of the day. As for the day after that, we'll be playing Capture the Flag,"

All the boys began to cheer.

"…with the girls."

All the boys began to boo.

"Now now, I understand last year's issue, but I'm sure the girls would enjoy the rare time you get to be with each other."

"Yeah, so we can look at them from behind. Trust me dude, some of those older girls? Hot mama," muttered Duke.

"Umm, Duke? Doesn't that sound a bit creepy?" asked Jet.

"Maybe to you. But to me? Hell naw. Don't patronize me, bro."

"Anyway, that is all I have to say. You're now free to do whatever you'd like until 10. At ten, it's time for bed, so make good use of your time and freedom."

All the boys got up and abided by the scoutmaster's rule. Some returned to their cabins while others stayed outside.

"Well, this year's gunna be interesting. I just know it," said the blue-shelled armadillo, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, we just gotta see how it turns out," said Jet. "I'm kinda excited about what's gonna happen this year, if I'll be honest."

"Aren't we all. Hey guys, I got an idea. Let's play 20 questions!" Duke said.

For the next hour or so, the five boys stayed outside, continuing their conversation and playing little games with each other until the scoutmaster blew his whistle and announced bed time.

"Aw man, really?" Eryx said. "And I was just about to go to!"

"Don't whine, we'll play another day," replied Duke.

Standing up, Jet, Nezbitt, Duke, and Eryx walked back to Cabin C, while Storm went to Cabin D.

"Hey, Storm, night!" Jet called out. He then waved at his new friend.

Storm's face grew more happily. "Night to you too, Jet!" He called out, going into Cabin D.

When Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx reached Cabin C, the four boys walked passed the other Cabin C kids fooling around, and went to their bunks. They pulled off their shirts and climbed onto bed. Pulling the covers over them, the boys laid their heads on their pillows as Mido the camp counselor went into Cabin C to make sure everyone was in their bunks.

"Alright, lights out!" He barked out. Soon, more and more people climbed into their bunks, until Cabin C was completely voided of life.

The lynx turned off the lights in Cabin C as everyone soon began to fall asleep. Jet found himself having difficulty falling asleep, wondering what he'd be doing with Duke, Nezbitt, Eryx, and most importantly, Storm, in the next coming days.

He simply knew that Camp Silver Lake was going to be exciting this year.


	2. Bonding by the Campfire

**(AN: Hey everyone! Well, it's Saturday, so you know what that means... NEW CHAPTER!**

 **Recently I managed to beat Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, so seeing more of Jet and Storm is always good :3c**

 **And hey, on that topic, let's continue where we last left off! Jet and Storm have become friends, so let's see what kind of little adventures they'll go on...**

 **As for updates, I will say this: I've decided that I will stop updating every Saturday, but instead, update every 5 days. So after the posting of this Chapter, on Thursday, you'll get to see a new chapter! I think the story'll pass by faster, seeing as I've already finished it basically lol.**

 **Now I'm gonna use these last few lines to confess something; if something feels weird about this story, its camping themes, etc, I have only been camping like TWICE in my life lol. Most of the stuff used for inspiration in this story was stuff I found on the internet.**

 **But anyway...**

 **Hope you enjoy!)**

* * *

It was the next morning.

Jet woke up around nine. Opening his eyes, he rolled over to his side and saw that Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx weren't in their beds, as they were most likely at the Mess Hall for breakfast. In fact, neither were any of the other boys.

"Oh crap, I didn't oversleep, did I?" The hawk asked himself. He rolled over again, but mistakenly fell out of his bunk.

"WAUGH!" He yelled before crashing face first onto the wooden floor. Jet held his hurting beak as he frowned.

"Note to self, Jet: Never do THAT again…"

Still holding his aching beak, the hawk put on his shoes, found another blue shirt in his bag, and put it on. The green avian then made his way out of Cabin C.

Walking to the mess hall, Jet saw the other campers from the different cabins make their way to the same destination he was going to, among those being a familiar grey, bulky frame.

"Storm! Hey, Storm!" Jet called, running towards the grey albatross. Storm turned to see Jet, waving and running up towards him.

"Oh, hey there Jet. Sleep well?" Storm asked.

"Yeah! What about you?"

"Same same. Going to have breakfast?"

"I could ask the same question to you and your reply is my answer," Jet said, emitting chuckles from the two. "Hey, wanna walk together?"

"Sure! I don't see the issue."

* * *

Breakfast was warm hash browns with a slice of cheese on top of it (maple syrup instead for anyone who didn't want cheese on theirs) along with orange slices and milk.

After breakfast, Jet and Storm met up with Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx at the podium in the middle of the camp grounds. The Scoutmaster stood in front of it currently, as he was waiting for all the other boys.

After some time, everyone was present, as they sat down and awaited the Scoutmaster's message.

"Alright boys, like I said yesterday, today we'll be having a bonfire after dinner tonight, so we're going to spend the rest of today collecting fire wood in the forest. Because trust me, we're going to have the best bonfire we've ever had at Camp Silver Lake!" The Scoutmaster said. All the boys from Camp A clapped.

"Now, your camp counselor will supply you with a map in the event that you get lost. This is a big area, so regardless of you getting this map, stay by your counselors, unless you know how to traverse the area. Now, when you get your map, everyone in Cabin A and B shall leave to the left, and Cabin C and D people, shall go to the right. Counselors, you're free to hand out the maps now."

The four counselors passed out maps to each and every boy sitting down. Mido gave one to Jet, Storm, Duke, and Eryx

"Well, let's head out!" Jet said as he got up. The albatross, cat, shark, and armadillo followed behind the hawk, making their way to the right exit path of the camp, and into the forest.

"Yo, you realize we didn't stay with the other counselors, right?" Eryx said.

"Oh I'm sure we'll be fine. Trust me," replied Duke.

"So like, you sure we're gonna get a lot of wood?" Nezbitt asked, hands on the back of his head as the five continued to walk through the forest.

"Yeah, out of all of you guys, I'm gunna be the one to get the most out of all you losers!"

"Oh really? Did you forget that Storm's with us?"

Duke looked at Storm, looking at his bulky, muscular frame.

"So like, take back what I said," The shark softly said.

Everybody but Duke began to laugh as the five boys found some wood. Jet picked it up immediately.

"Looks like I got bragging rights!" He exclaimed. Eryx turned around to see Mido and the counselor for Cabin D standing by a large cart.

"What the… how did they get THAT there?!"

The four took note at what the blue-shelled armadillo said and questioned the same thing.

"Maybe it was pure speed?" Nezbitt asked.

"Pff, no one's faster than me!" Jet said.

"Wanna prove THAT one of those days?" Duke asked, a bit smug.

"You're on, pal!"

"Guys… aren't we looking for like, firewood?" Storm asked.

"Yeah, Storm's right, let's not get distracted, otherwise we'll turn up emptyhanded," Eryx said. Jet and Duke looked away from each other.

Just then, Mido began to yell out.

"Alright everyone, this is where all your firewood's gonna go. Just look around this forest and find as much as you can get. You can start searching now," announced Mido. He then turned to the five. "And YOU lot? Not waiting for us isn't cool."

Everyone tried their best to look innocent as they went straight ahead into looking for firewood.

While Jet found a few large sticks, Storm held two heavy looking logs in his hands. The hawk and the albatross made their way back to the cart.

"Man Storm, you're really strong," observed Jet, noticing how the albatross didn't have any trouble carrying the logs.

"Heh, thanks. I work out a lot at home. You can say lifting weights helps me out a lot," Storm replied.

"Really now? How much can you lift?"

"Hmm… around one seventy, I think? I think its close to two hundred... I'm not sure..."

"One seventy? Almost two hundred?! Man, I take that back, you're not just strong, you're REAL strong."

Storm laughed as the two placed their firewood into the cart. They went back into the forest, picking up more wood as they had continued their conversation.

* * *

Around 7 PM, Mido and the counselor from Cabin D announced that the firewood searching was over, as it now filled up the entire cart. Storm, along with all the other muscular boys of Cabin C and D, pushed the cart back to camp.

Once arriving at camp, the cart was left next to the cart that the kids from Cabin A and B used. Everyone then went into the Mess Hall for a light dinner.

After dinner, the boys helped the scoutmaster place the logs into a large circle and then surrounded the what-would-be campfire.

"Stand back, kiddos," He said, as Mido and another camp counselor handed him a lighter, and some gasoline. The fire immediately burst to life as the boys from Cabin A clapped and cheered.

"Hey boys, who's ready from some marshmallows!" Duke announced, holding several bags of marshmallows.

"Yo, where'd you get those?" Jet asked.

"Been saving them for a night like this! Here, you can have first dibs!"

Duke opened one bag as Jet put his hand into the bag, pulling out a marshmallow. He popped it into his mouth as all the other boys took smaller sticks from the cart and put marshmallows on them. Everyone put them over the fire, waiting for them to cook.

"Boy, I can't wait for how tonight's gonna go!" said a boy from Cabin B.

"I hope they don't tell ghost stories… I don't like those…" said another boy from Cabin A.

Everyone began to retract their marshmallows from the fire and went ahead on eating them. Jet however, was too coaxed up with talking to Duke that he didn't even realize his was completely pitch black.

"Jet… Jet, your marshmallows is burning!" Storm said, tapping the hawk's shoulder. Jet shook his head and quickly pulled out his marshmallow, which was charred black and on fire. Blowing it out, the green avian hoped that it was still edible. With slight reluctance, he bit and chewed into it.

"Well, how is it?" Storm asked.

"Surprisingly, not as bad as I thought it was gunna be…" Jet commented, swallowing. "Hey Duke, mind giving me another?"

The shark threw another marshmallow towards Jet, who caught in the air.

"Woah, nice catch," said Storm in awe.

Jet winked. "Thanks."

A panda boy from Cabin C pulled out a flashlight, and shined it on his face.

"It's late at night isn't it? How's about some scary stories?" The boy said, putting on an exaggerated "scary" voice. While some of the kids in Cabin's A and B whimpered, Cabin C and D's kids looked unfazed.

"You think this is gonna scare the pants off of you?" Jet whispered to Storm.

"Hope so, I kinda have a thing for horror. What about you?"

"Um… would you make fun of me if I told you that I'm not a real horror guy? Mainly cause… I'm actually kinda scared of that stuff… Yeah, I know, it's pathetic. Trust me; I got made fun of because of it before a few times…" Jet looked bashful. Storm in response, looked remorseful.

"No, I'd never do that! If it's a fear you have, then it's a fear you have. I was kinda hoping that if we met, we would stay up until two in the morning watching horror movies. But if you wanna watch something else if we meet..."

"Whoa whoa, meeting? Us?"

"Yeah, maybe after camp is over we could hang out some day before school starts for both of us! Sounds like a good idea?"

"Sure, I don't see the problem with that."

"Alright! Now, if we're going to watch a movie, since we're not doing horror, what would you wanna watch then?"

Jet looked at the ground. "I love comedy movies."

"Alright, we'll go with that!" The albatross winked at the hawk as the boy continued his rambling. However, he stopped and looked at the two avians.

"Are you two done making out?"

Jet and Storm froze as they saw everyone stare at them. They smiled innocently and shook their heads and hands.

"Y-Yeah yeah! Go on, tell your spooky story!" The two avians said. The panda boy looked a bit cross.

"Well, alright. So anyway, this story is called… The Yellow Ribbon… Now… the tale of the Yellow Ribbon goes like this…"

* * *

 _"There was once this bat girl named Jane. Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck every day. And I mean every day, rain or shine, whether it matched her outfit or not. It annoyed her best friend Johnny after a while. He was her next door neighbor and had known Jane since she was three. When he was young, he had barely noticed the yellow ribbon, but now they were getting older, it bothered him._

 _"Why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck, Jane?" he'd ask her every day. But she wouldn't tell him._

 _Still, in spite of this aggravation, Johnny thought she was cute. He'd take her to a diner for an ice cream sundae. Then he asked her to watch him play in a football game. Then he started seeing her home. And one day, he invited her to a skating ring, and asked her out. Jane said yes when he asked her out. And she always wore a yellow dress to match that ribbon around her neck._

 _It finally occurred to Johnny that he and Jane were going steady, and he still didn't know why she wore the yellow ribbon around her neck. So he asked her about it yet again, and yet again she did not tell him._

 _"Maybe someday I'll tell you about it," she'd reply._

 _Someday! That answer annoyed Johnny, but he shrugged it off, because Jane was so cute and fun to be with._

 _Well, time flew past, as it has a habit of doing, and one day Johnny proposed to Jane and was accepted. They planned a big wedding, and Jane hinted that she might tell him about the yellow ribbon around her neck on their wedding day. But somehow, what with the preparations and his beautiful bride, and the lovely reception, Johnny never got around to asking Jane about it. And when he did remember, she got a bit teary-eyed, and said:_

 _"We are so happy together, what difference does it make?"_

 _And Johnny decided she was right._

 _Johnny and Jane raised a family of four, with the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears. When their golden anniversary rolled around, Johnny once again asked Jane about the yellow ribbon around her neck. It was the first time he'd brought it up since the week after their wedding. Whenever their children asked him about it, he'd always hushed them, and somehow none of the kids had dared ask their mother. Jane gave Johnny as sad look and said:_

 _"Johnny, you've waited this long. You can wait awhile longer."_

 _And Johnny agreed. It was not until Jane was on her death bed a year later that Johnny, seeing his last chance slip away, asked Jane one final time about the yellow ribbon she wore around her neck. She shook her head a bit at his persistence, and then said with a sad smile:_

 _"Okay Johnny, you can go ahead and untie it."_

 _With shaking hands, Johnny fumbled for the knot and untied the yellow ribbon around his wife's neck…_

* * *

"And then… JANE'S HEAD FELL OFF!" The panda screamed in his "scary voice".

All of the kids from Cabin A and B jumped and some of them screamed, clearly scared by the story. The boy turned off the flashlight and plopped it on the ground.

"I think that's enough scary stories for tonight, Capricorn. Heaven knows what kind of nightmare's you've given these kids," The Scoutmaster said.

"Oh come on, Scoutmaster. One more?"

"Enough."

Capricorn sighed as he took a seat next to some of his friends. The Scoutmaster sat down where Capricorn was sitting, and then took out a guitar.

"Where did he get that?" asked Jet.

"Hammerspace," replied Eryx.

"Huh?"

"To get our minds off of that, how's about a song?" asked the Scoutmaster.

Everyone around the camp fire got excited; regardless of how old everyone was, it was like a law that everyone sung once the Scoutmaster took out his guitar.

"Hey Storm, wanna sing together?" asked Jet. "I've never had a singing buddy."

"I don't see why not. I'm not a songbird, but I sure can sing pretty good," Storm said in reply.

"I'd like to hear one of these days."

"Sure thing, Jet. Just for you," Storm smiled.

"Well then, what song do we sing?" asked the scoutmaster. Within seconds, everyone began pouring out suggestions. The Scoutmaster listened to all the boys and picked two he heard the most.

"Alright alright, we're going to do a vote based on the songs I heard you guys say the most. Who wants the Food song?"

Various boys, including Jet, Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx, raised their hands.

"Yeah boyyy, that is one song I never get sick of!" Duke exclaimed.

"Alright, now who wants "How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning?"

More boys raised their hands, however it seems like the Food song got the majority.

"The Food song it is, then! Get ready to sing boys!" The Scoutmaster strummed his guitar and began to sing, all the boys joining along with him.

 _"Soup, soup, we all want soup,_

 _Tip your bowl and drain it,_

 _Let your whiskers strain it,_

 _Hark, hark, that funny noise,_

 _Listening to the gurgling, boys._

 _Meat, meat, we must have meat,_

 _Fresh and juicy cow meat,_

 _Ham and pickled pigs feet,_

 _Veal, lamb and pork chops too,_

 _Any kind of meat will do._

 _Fish, fish, we all want fish,_

 _Fish that isn't bony,_

 _Nor a little phony._

 _Fresh fish, we won't eat stale,_

 _Any kind of fish but whale._

 _Pie, pie, we all want pie,_

 _Apple, peach and cherry,_

 _Cheese and huckleberry,_

 _Mince pie is very fine._

 _That's the way that we boys dine!"_

The song ended as the scoutmaster stopped strumming. Jet and Storm looked at each other and smiled, clearly enjoying their time singing.

"Man, I said it before, and I'll say it again; I never get tired of that song. Kinda reminds me of Nezbitt and me…" Duke said.

"HEY! I RESENT THAT!" Nezbitt yelled. The blue shelled armadillo, the hawk, and the albatross laughed at the two's argument that followed. Suddenly, the scoutmaster blew his whistle.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight, boys. Remember what tomorrow is; capture the flag with the girls!"

The boys groaned.

"Don't give me that attitude. We're gonna show those girls who's the man here!"

"He's still mad at her…" Duke whispered to Storm.

"Her? Who? W-What are you talkin' about?"

"The Scoutmaster."

"He's mad at himself?"

"No you moron! The Scoutmaster from the girl's camp!"

Jet groaned. "Since you're new, Storm, I'll fill you in. Our Scoutmaster and the Scoutmaster for the girl's camp across the lake had an affair that well… ended in disaster. They had a rivalry ever since," He explained to Storm.

"Woah… that's something. Still, do we have to challenge the girls?"

"What's the matter, scared of a bunch of sissy girls?" The cat taunted.

"No… it's just…"

"What?"

"There's… someone at the girl's camp I'm not too fond of."

"Really? Who is it?" asked Eryx.

"I won't tell. But you might meet her tomorrow. One other thing, we've… known each other for a while. And… we've hated our guts since the beginning."

"Oooh… looks like Storm's gunna fall for her someday. Y'know, opposites attract…" giggled the shark. Jet, Nezbitt, and Eryx all chuckled while Storm blushed in embarrassment.

Though, Jet had a thought in his head, He knew that Storm wouldn't fall for this mysterious girl. After all, judging from what he said about her, his thoughts towards her aren't the most positive.

His thoughts were interrupted by the Scoutmaster's voice.

"Now, time for bed! All of you!"

"Alright… see you guys tomorrow." Storm yawned, as he made his way back towards Cabin D.

"See you, Storm! Night!" yelled Jet.

"Same!" Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx yelled.

Storm lifted his hand up. "Alright, same to you guys too."

"C'mon, let's head back to Cabin C." Eryx said as he ran to Cabin C. Jet, Duke, and Nezbitt followed behind him.

Going through the door, they took off their shirts and climbed onto their bunks, immediately falling asleep as their heads hit their pillows.


	3. A Game o' Capture the Flag

**(AN: Well, I said I'd deliver, didn't I? Here's another chapter! This time, we're gonna get introduced to a new character, which, by all the hints I've been giving the last two chapters, I think you know who it is :3c**

 **I've been heartbroken by the latest chapter of XxSnowDropxX's fic, 'Green Hill Academy' (which is a SUPER good fic btw) so much like ughhh DX it's so depressing. Here's to hoping that this takes my mind off of things XD.**

 **Anyway, with that out of the way, I'll see you guys in five days for the next exciting chapter of Camp Silver Lake!**

 **Oh, and quickly, thank you to everyone who has followed, faved, and reviewed since the last chapter!)**

* * *

The first thing Jet was woken up to was the sound of the Scoutmaster's whistle and his loud, booming voice.

"Get up! Everyone get up! Mess Hall first thing for breakfast and then report back to me!"

"Ugh… can he shut up for once in his life…" Duke moaned.

Cabin C boomed to life as the hawk rubbed his temples, removing the crust from his eyes. Jet yawned loudly as reached his hand forward and grabbed his shirt. He got off his bed and quickly put it on as he made his way out of Cabin C and to the Mess Hall, grabbing his breakfast as he walked over to an empty table, where Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx would soon sit. The five held a conversation as they consumed their food, throwing their trash away once they were done. Jet, Storm, Eryx, Duke, and Nezbitt left the Mess Hall and made their way in front of the podium, waiting for the other boys to arrive.

After about thirty minutes, all the boys across all cabins sat in front of the podium as the Scoutmaster finally arrived, holding a clipboard.

"Now, if you all remember, we'll be playing Capture the Flag with the girls. Now, depending on which Cabin you're in, where you're going to be located is different. Everyone in Cabin's A and B will go to the other side of the forest, meanwhile, everyone in Cabin C and D will be in the forest near the girl's camp. So, if we could get all of the counselors from Cabin A and B to gather all the kids in those cabins and guide them to where they'll be. As for the rest of you, you'll all follow me, as we'll be heading to the girls camp. Now move, boys! We got a long fight ahead of us!"

All the boys stood up as the albatross wiped the dirt off his legs. The five along with the rest of the boys in Cabin C and D lined up behind the Scoutmaster.

"Is everyone ready? Alright, let's go!"

The large lion marched out of the boys camp and down the left dirt path, all of the boys from Cabin C and D following behind him.

"So what do you say boys? Ready to pulverize some girls?" said Duke, cracking his knuckles.

"Well, maybe when your testosterone levels drop then yeah," replied Jet in a snarky voice, crossing his arms. Immediately, Storm, Nezbitt, and Eryx burst into laughter while the shark became a stammering mess, being unable to come up with a plausible comeback.

* * *

When all the boys finally arrived at the forest near the girl's camp, they saw all the girls preparing themselves, along with others getting materials ready. Jet heard Storm softly growl and looked up at him.

"Huh… Storm? What's wrong?"

"It's her. The one I was talking about yesterday," He said, rather quietly.

"The girl? Which one?"

Storm pointed to a purple swallow girl wearing a white bandana on her head, as well as a pink shirt and blue sweat shorts. She was doing jumping jacks in place, most likely warming herself up.

"Oh, I see her. Who's she anyway?"

"That's Wave. We've known each other for a while, probably since Elementary school, but she went to Pasty Fields too. Let's just say we weren't on the best terms since the day we met."

"Wow, so you two have been rival and rival since?"

"If you see it that way, then yeah."

"She looks kinda tough too…"

"Well, not only what she has in athletic ability, she has in brains. She's a smart girl, I can tell you that."

"No worries, Storm, if we encounter her, we'll be able to beat her, right?"

Storm smiled at Jet. "Right. We're tough after all!" The two avians then bumped fists as the two Scoutmaster's blew their whistles.

"Boys and girls, line up!" The female scoutmaster, a bobcat, said.

Jet and Storm walked to where their scoutmaster was, standing by two other boys as they stared at the girls. The avians' Scoutmaster walked through the path the two groups made, looking at the boys and the girls.

"Now, this is going to be a simple, down to earth, game of Capture the Flag. I want this to be a clean game... FROM ALL OF YOU," He said, continuing to look from side to side.

"The rule is simple, we've placed the flag somewhere in this area of the camp, which includes the forest, and your job is to find it. You will however, not find the flag past there (the Scoutmaster pointed to the right exit of the girls camp), or there (pointing to the left exit this time). It's only in the areas I told you."

The girl's scoutmaster came with a container of red and yellow vests.

"You will split up in two teams, the boys shall be the red team, and the girls shall be the yellow team," She explained. She passed out vests to all the boys and girls. Jet and Storm put theirs on, however the albatross found trouble with putting his on.

"What's wrong?" asked Jet.

"This thing, it's too small for me!" complained Storm. The hawk walked over and tugged down on the vest, finally getting it to fit on Storm.

"There you go," Jet smiled at the albatross, who looked… strangely cute in his vest.

"Now, there are various locations for maps in the event you get lost. They'll be scattered across the forest. As we explained, whichever team gets the flag first, wins. Are we clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, on my whistle. 3, 2, 1…"

The girl's scoutmaster blew the whistle and immediately, everyone scattered across the forest.

* * *

Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx immediately caught up with Jet and Storm within a few seconds of them running through the patches of grass and fallen leaves.

"Alright, what's the plan, guys?" asked Duke.

"Simple, I say we should go different ways," Jet explained. "I'll go with Storm while you three go somewhere else. If either one of us find the flag, just repeat this sound."

Jet held his hands close to his beak and made a loud sound, meant as a call.

"Alright, if we do find it, we'll do that. Meet you guys later!"

Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx ran away from the two avians, but suddenly, they yelped as they fell down a disguised hole. Jet and Storm jumped back in surprise and ran to the hole, the albatross almost tripping.

"Duke! Nezbitt! Eryx! Are you alright?!" asked the green avian.

"We're fine! This hole was camouflaged though…" responded Nezbitt.

"By who?"

Suddenly, Jet and Storm heard two girls giggling behind them. They looked up to see who the culprits were.

"Well well, it looks like someone fell for our trap," said a grinning alligator.

"Yeah, and you should be thankful we didn't push you down there too!" said a giraffe. She then waggled her finger. "But it's just a fair warning to you!"

The two girls giggled and high fived each other. Jet began to growl.

"You think it's funny by cheating?! You heard what my Scoutmaster said, he wanted this to be a clean game!"

The alligator snorted. "You think we want you boys to win? Heck no, that's one huge no no. But if you feel that you can get the flag before us, try going past the best girl on our team!"

The two girls laughed as they walked away. Storm clenched his fists as he kicked the ground.

"Damn, they probably have this place booby trapped!" He yelled.

"Don't worry, Storm. We aren't gonna let these girls get away with this. We'll win this game and get back at them for doing this to Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx. And then we'll rub it in their faces, alright?"

Storm nodded and pat Jet's back as the two avians made their way forward.

"Now, let's find that flag!"

* * *

What felt like hours later, Jet and Storm groaned as they collapsed near a small lake, taking what they would call a 'small rest'.

"Man… *huff huff*… we're not gonna find this dang flag are we?" asked Jet.

"I hope we do, we made sure we would win this," said Storm. "We promised it to Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx…"

As Jet placed his hands on the ground and got up, walking to the lake for a small drink of water, he noticed a big hill, along with the flag on top of said hill across the lake, near the edge.

 _"Wait a minute… FLAG?!"_

"Storm! Storm, there's the flag!" Jet exclaimed, pointing to the flag as he quickly tapped the large grey avian's shoulder. Storm looked up and smiled.

"Alright! We found it! Let's go around here quickly!"

Helping the albatross get up from the ground, Jet and Storm entered the water and splashed through the lake. They got out moments later, feathers and clothes wet as they went near the hill, looking up at it.

"Ha ha, who knew this would be that easy?" Jet grinned.

"Yeah, but uh…. how are we gonna get up there?" asked Storm.

Suddenly, the two avians were startled by the sound of a snapping branch. The two avians looked up to see a large offshoot that was about to fall right on top of them.

"Watch out!" Jet yelled. Before he could move, Storm tackled out him the way. The large grey avian let go as the hawk got up, cleaning his dirty feathers. It was then that the two heard a female's voice.

"Here's the answer to your question: how about you DON'T get up there."

"That voice… it's…" said Storm.

Suddenly, two females dropped in front of Jet and Storm, a gopher with pink hair, and a… familiar purple swallow.

"Wave…"

The swallow put her hand on her hip.

"Well well well, look who came to THIS camp. I'm surprised such a dimwit like yourself actually survived three days in this camp," Wave teased. She looked at Jet. "Oh, and look at that! You actually made a new friend! Did he become friends with you out of pity?"

"Hey, knock it off! What did Storm ever do to you?" Jet yelled at Wave, defending his new friend. Wave's face scowled as she got up close to Jet.

"Clearly you weren't around to see what he did to ME, you little green punk. Storm was always the one picking fights with me, teasing me about this and that, and you bet I fired back. Guess who's returning the words THIS time?"

"Storm's a better guy than you think-"

"Pff, save me the sob story, green."

Jet grit his teeth, now he knew why Storm didn't like her.

"So, as for the matter of this flag, I think we'll be collecting it. So you little boys should just stay put," said the gopher girl. Her and Wave laughed as the two avians began to take deep breaths from anger, curling up their fists.

"Know what? No! We're not staying put! C'mon Storm, let's get 'em!"

The two girls' eyes widened as they quickly began to dig their fingers into the dirt of the hill and started climbing. However, they weren't able to climb any higher than two feet, and Jet and Storm fell to the ground. Wave laughed at them as the two began to climb up the hill.

"See? Just what I told you!"

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the forest, causing Wave to jump back. She yelled as she fell to the ground, and hit it so hard that she then went into the lake.

"WAVE!" cried the gopher girl. She got off the hill and walked to the lake, only to stop near it.

"What's wrong, Cherry?! Why aren't you helping me?!" Wave yelled, splashing in the water.

"I… I… I can't! I have aquaphobia!" Cherry replied, covering her face with her hands.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me! Dang it… my head hurts so much, but I need to reach that flag…"

Meanwhile, Jet looked behind him and wondered what that noise was. In the distance, he saw three familiar figures.

 _"Wait… is that… Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx?!"_ He said internally.

"GUYS!" he called out.

"Don't worry Jet, we got you covered! Thank goodness for that call you taught us, you're almost there! It's up to you and Storm now!" called Eryx back. Storm got himself up and with new confidence and support from their three friends, walked over to Jet.

"Cherry! Hurry up!" screamed Wave, holding her head. "Find some way to get me back!"

The albatross picked up Jet and looked at him.

"Now's our chance with Wave down!" Jet said.

"You ready for this?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, ready."

Storm picked up Jet and swung him in place with his arms three times. With all the strength he had, the albatross narrowed his eyes as he threw Jet on the top of the hill, landing right near the flag. Getting up and wiping the dirt off his legs, Jet watched as the various other girls and boys, as well as the scoutmasters, began coming from the distance. With a smile on his face, Jet grasped the flag and took it out from the ground.

"No!" screamed the swallow.

"Alright Jet, I got you! Come down now!" Storm said, holding his arms out for the hawk.

Jet got off the hill and jumped into Storm's arms. Storm placed Jet onto his shoulder as the green avian held the flag triumphantly. All the boys began to cheer as Jet and Storm smiled, knowing they had won the game. In the lake, Wave scowled at the two avians, knowing that they had outsmarted her, the smartest girl in the girl's camp.

"I'm sorry, Wave! Really, I am!" Cherry stammered.

"Just… save it…" Wave spat back.

All the boys, including the scoutmaster, swam through the lake and then ran over to Jet and Storm. They were almost tackled to the ground.

Jet and Storm exchanged a glance to each other; they smiled and laughed, knowing that they would be praised countless times when they returned back to camp, knowing that they would be treated like heroes.

* * *

It was lunch time, and all the boys were back at the Mess Hall. However, none of them ate. Instead, they crowded around Jet and Storm, asking them about the victory.

"Man Jet, that victory sure was awesome!" said a snake. "How'd you do it?"

"Well, I'm not really the one you should be looking at; it was Storm who should be taking the credit," Jet replied. "He was the one who came up with the idea of throwing me up to the hill."

"Storm, your strategy and what you did to overcome the girls; how do you feel about your victory?"

Storm stopped drinking his milk to ponder. These guys felt like reporters asking him questions. "Pretty good if you tell me. I'm glad to see that me and Jet worked together to do it."

Even after the two were done with their words, everyone still crowded around them.

Once lunch was over, the boys exited out of the Mess Hall and saw the Scoutmaster with various buckets surrounding him.

"What's with those?" asked Eryx.

"Considering that you've all been wearing the same shirt for the past three days, I suggest you all should wash them. Grab a bucket and share with someone."

"Uh sir? Do we need to take off our shirts for this?" asked a pudgy pig who looked like he was in Cabin A.

"Well of course, unless you'd like to dunk yourself in it, which if you do, prepare for a tight fit. Alright boys, I'll leave you to it."

Jet, along with the other boys of the camp, grabbed a bucket. The hawk took his bucket near the lake as Storm walked up to him.

"You wanna share?" The albatross asked.

"Sure thing, man," Jet responded.

He took off his shirt and put it into the bucket. He then looked at Storm, who was taking off his shirt. However, Jet felt his face beginning to heat up as he saw the topless Storm.

 _"Wow, this guy's as strong as he says he is. I mean, look at that body. I'd like to be that strong."_ He thought.

Suddenly, Jet slapped himself softly.

 _"What the… why was I thinking about that? And for the record... why are you staring? He's your friend, Jet… even if he does look pretty good. …Er, not that I mean I have a thing for Storm… Ugh, what am I even saying?!"_ The hawk thought.

Jet decided to stop focusing his mind on his thoughts by focusing on washing his shirt. Shaking his head, he took some of the detergent given to them by the scoutmaster and applied it to his wet shirt. Then, Storm placed his shirt into the bucket and the two got to work on washing their dirty clothes.

After they felt it was clean many minutes later, Jet placed it on a drying rack also supplied to them by the scoutmaster. He sat down on the ground as Storm placed his shirt on the rack and sat down next to him.

"Maybe it's just me, but I've never liked being shirtless. I've always seemed…. self-conscious to say," Jet said.

"Hm? How so?" Storm replied.

"Well, sometimes I feel really skinny and like, compared to how big you are, that doesn't help."

"I don't think of you as skinny, heck, if anything you look pretty healthy for your age. There's nothing wrong with it anyway."

 _"That's Storm for you, Jet... probably the nicest guy you've ever met. Even if what Wave said could be true..."_ Jet thought. A soft blush formed on his face.

"Thanks…"

Storm smiled back.

* * *

It was finally sunset when all the shirts dried.

With nothing left to do after taking them down, Jet and Storm goofed off with Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx until dinner time. After dinner, the Scoutmaster announced that tomorrow would be the start of activities for everyone, meaning that the boys would be going to sleep earlier from now on to get rest for the next day.

When bed time finally rolled around, Jet said goodbye to Storm as him, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx went back to Cabin C and to their beds.

However, hours after lights out, Jet was the only one still awake, thinking about what had happened earlier. He lay on his arm, staring at his covers, and sighed.

 _"Why did I stare at Storm that way? We're just friends..."_ Jet thought to himself. He sighed. _"This camping trip is going differently than I thought it was going to… and I'm not sure if it's good or bad. Well me, looks like you're just going to have to keep this to yourself…"_

With that final thought, the hawk rolled over to his side and finally fell asleep.


	4. Fishing with a Side of Thoughts

**(AN: Well hello again! Well, it's that time again, time for a new chapter!**

 **I've got nothing really new to say, other than that I've started Team Chaotix's story in Sonic Heroes! (Took long enough lol). And on that topic of the Chaotix, there's less than 5 days until a new fic from me is coming out! If you saw the hint in A Deal or no Deal, I think you know what it is...**

 **Also I do wanna address something regarding the lore of this AU, in this world, God is referred to as 'The Great One', and is gonna be brought up multiple times during this chapter, but also in future chapters. Just to clear up what could be future confusion if I didn't explain it.**

 **Anyway, with that aside, enjoy this new chapter!)**

 ** _WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE USE OF A HOMOPHOBIC SLUR, SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION_**

* * *

"Shh… giggle and we're screwed."

"Sorry 'bout that, Duke. Ha ha… I can't help it…"

Duke and Eryx looked at the front door of Cabin C and saw that Nezbitt had come with a bowl of water.

"There you are. What took so long?" whispered Duke.

"Sorry, it's just that I tried to avoid the Scoutmaster so he doesn't get suspicious. But hey; I'm here," responded Nezbitt.

"Well good. Now pass the bowl over here."

The brown cat tiptoed over to the shark and blue-shelled armadillo (who were standing by Jet's bed, the hawk still asleep) and passed the bowl of water to Duke. The three friends grinned to themselves as they tried to keep their composure.

"When I say three, Duke," Eryx said.

"Got it Eryx."

"One… two… three!"

Duke tipped the bowl, splashing water onto the sleeping Jet. The hawk woke up sharply upon impact. He squawked and rose straight out of his bunk, eyes widened as he breathed in an out. Eryx and Nezbitt were cracking up

"Morning sunshine, you started to oversleep, so we fixed that for you," said Duke, arms on Jet's sheets.

Jet blinked and soon realized it was Duke who woke him up. He began to growl and clenched his fists. A vein popped on the side of his head

"Oh c'mon, Jettison, don't be like that-"

Immediately, Jet began to run towards Duke. The shark ran out of Cabin C as the shirtless hawk gave chase after him.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU DUKEEEEE!"

* * *

After finally catching Duke (and earning a stern chewing out from the Scoutmaster), the four sat in the Mess Hall, eating breakfast with Storm. Eryx proceeded to tell the story to the albatross while Jet simply looked annoyed.

"Oh man, that face Duke made when Jet caught him, ha ha, man I could never forget it!" He said.

"Heh, I imagine so!" said Storm. He then looked at Jet, and watched him buried his chin deeper into his arms. Reaching in close so that Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx couldn't hear him, Storm began to whisper.

"Don't worry 'bout that, Jet. I would have done the same if I was you. You sure got him good," He said.

The hawk's mood improved upon hearing that. "Thanks. I'll make sure to get in another hit for you, if you want,"

"After what he did to you, why would I say no?" Storm smirked.

* * *

"So, are you boys ready for some fishin'?!" exclaimed Duke after the five left the Mess Hall.

"Well, all of you guys. Everyone at Cabin D is hiking," said Storm.

"Wait, really? Aw man... that's a huge bummer…" Jet replied, disappointed.

All of a sudden, Jet, Storm, Duke, and Eryx heard a faint giggling sound coming from Nezbitt, who seemed to be drooling from the mouth.

"What's up with him?" Jet asked.

"Mention fish and he's like this. Don't worry, once we catch him a fish, he'll be happy," explained Eryx.

"Is he always like that?"

"Yeah, he's been like this. Don't worry; he won't try to eat you."

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried to eat me before," said the shark, crossing his arms.

 _"Wow Duke, could you not make that any more subtle?"_ Jet thought. He wanted to say his thought aloud, but he didn't want Duke to punch him. The hawk needed to get that last hit after all.

The five's conversation was cut short by the Scoutmaster's whistle. They headed in front of the podium along with the other boys of Cabin A, B, C, and D.

"Well, today will be the start of activities that I mentioned on the first day here!" The Scoutmaster explained. "If you have forgotten what we'll be doing, Cabin A will be doing swimming, Cabin B will be doing woodcarving, Cabin C will be doing fishing, and Cabin D will be hiking."

The camp counselors walked up and stood next to the scoutmaster.

"Now, depending on what you are doing, you will need to bring personal items. The only ones that will need personal items are the people in Cabin A and Cabin D. Cabin A will need swimwear, and Cabin D will need to bring their bags for your hiking trip. So I recommend you go get those right now."

The boys in Cabin A and D (including Storm) stood up and headed to their cabins. Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx sat around, waiting for the large grey avian to return. The albatross returned with his sports bag on his back.

"Now, you will all head with your counselors to a designated area. Cabin A and B will stay on camp grounds, but Cabin C and D will go out of the camp."

Mido and the counselor from Cabin D walked towards the exit of the camp.

"CABIN C!" Mido called out.

"Well, there's our call," said Jet.

He, the shark, the brown cat, and the blue shelled armadillo stood up and walked towards their counselor. Storm followed behind the four.

Once all the boys from Cabin C and D were all lined up and ready, they headed out of the camp and began to walk through the dirt trail.

"Uh… Storm?" whispered Jet to his large friend.

"Hm? What is it, Jet?" Storm replied.

The hawk twiddled his thumbs together, getting embarrassed from what he was going to say.

"Um… I know that hiking can have some risks so… just be safe OK?"

Storm looked at Jet, and then smiled.

"Alright… I'll be safe. And I promise I'll come back in one piece."

Jet gave Storm a thumbs up before the two cabins went to a split path. Cabin C going to the left and Cabin D going to the right.

As they walked to where they were going to fish however, Jet had a thought invading the back of his head.

 _"Why was I so nervous saying that to Storm?"_ He thought to himself.

* * *

When Mido and all of Cabin C arrived at the lake (the same lake where Jet and Storm first encountered Wave and her friend, Cherry), the camp counselor put down the medium sized cup he had been holding.

"OK everyone, sit," he said.

Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx, along with the rest of Cabin C, did what Mido told them to do, and sat down on the leafy grass.

"Now, by a show of hands, how many people have gone fishing in their lives?" Mido asked. Almost all the boys, sans a few, raised their hands. One of the boys who didn't raise their hand was Jet himself.

"Jet? You've never been fishing?" asked Duke.

Jet looked down at the gravel on the ground, then on the dark green flame-like tattoos on his arms.

Since his dad was constantly busy with races, and since his mom passed away due to cancer, he didn't have anyone to spend time with as a family. Sure, his father didn't abandon him completely, and hung around him often when he had free time, but... things weren't the same after his mother's death. Even when he was a kid, his father and mother never had the time to have family outings with their son. Despite this, he still loved them either way, but… yearned for the love and attention he'd see kids get in things like cartoons and movies and in real life too.

"It's… it's kind of personal…" responded Jet, the only thing he had said.

Looking at his tattoos again, he was surprised that his three friends hadn't questioned the tattoos of the Babylon Rouges; the Extreme Gear and thieving group his dad was a part of, and the group he would soon lead in his dad's place once he retired. Somehow, even when he heard Duke talking about the Extreme Gear channel on TV once during dinner, he, neither Nezbitt nor Eryx made the connection. Jet felt it was better that his friends didn't know, however.

"OK, a good majority of you. That's good," Mido said as Jet turned his attention back to him. "So, for those of you who don't know the basic mechanics of fishing, its real simple. All you need is patience."

The lynx looked into the distance and saw Capricorn, the boy who told the scary stories in front of the campfire two nights ago, carrying various fishing rods in both hands. From the way he looked, he must have been very tired.

"Ah, and here comes my assistant," said Mido.

Capricorn walked in front of the Cabin C camp counselor and put down the fishing rods on the floor.

"Here… *huff huff* you go, Mido…" Capricorn said.

"Thank you, Cap. Now go sit down."

Capricorn nodded, sitting in between a bulldog and an orange monkey.

"Now, I'm going to show a brief example of how to fish. First, you'll need a fishing rod obviously. Next, you'll need bait."

Mido picked up a white container on the floor and opened it up. He pulled out a worm and placed it onto the hook of the fishing rod. Mido then walked to the lake.

"Now, just throw your line in…"

The camp counselor threw the fishing line into the water, and waited for a bite. A few seconds later, he felt something latching on.

"Oh! Gotta bite! You just need to r-real it in like this!"

With all of his strength, Mido reeled in the biting fish, which was a normal minnow. Jet snorted.

"All that for a simple small fish?" The hawk muttered.

Duke and Eryx snickered, while Nezbitt looked at it longingly.

"Want…" Nezbitt moaned.

"We'll get you a fish, Nezbitt. Calm yourself," said Duke, placing his hand on the cat's shoulder.

"Now, come up and get a fishing rod, and some worms, everybody, time for you to try, and let's see what you can get. Whoever catches the largest one, we'll make sure to cook it for dinner," Mido said.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx stood around, waiting for a fish to bite either one of their lines.

"Geez, is fishing this dull?" complained Jet, throwing his head back.

"Well, fishing does get dull at first. Don't worry 'bout it though, Jet, it gets better, trust me," replied Eryx.

Immediately, Nezbitt got a bite on his line.

"Oh… oh Great One! Bite! BITE!" The brown cat almost screamed. He began to reel in his line as fast as he could.

"COME ON BABY! COME TO PAPA!"

The hawk looked at Nezbitt worriedly, who was drooling extensively.

"It… it looks like he's about to bust a vein," He said.

"Just wait until he reels it in, Jet. He'll be back to normal in a few," replied Duke.

"Nezbitt, you're gonna break the reel!" Eryx scolded.

Nezbitt pulled back on his fishing rod as hard as he could and immediately, a medium sized fish came out of the water.

"YES!"

Nezbitt caught his fishing line in his hand with the fish on his hook, hungrily looking at his catch. However, he waited until it died from suffocation (due to not being in the water). When it did, Nezbitt licked his lips and then placed it into his mouth. He chewed the entire thing, spitting out only the bones.

"Ahh… that's sooooo much better…"

Jet simply stared at Nezbitt. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone looked at Nezbitt, wondering what just happened.

"See, told ya," said Duke. However, Jet was caught off guard when he got a bite on his line. He almost fell to the ground, but managed to catch himself from doing so.

"Hehey! I gotta bite!" he said. He began to reel in, but began to have trouble doing so.

"Argh… this is a feisty one!"

Jet squawked when he almost fell forward again. Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx looked up and caught Jet before he could fall.

"W-What is this thing?!" Duke asked.

"What is it's a-a-another fish… a-a-a BIG FISH!" Nezbitt exclaimed.

"Guys, I think Nezbitt is right! I've never reeled in something this before!" Eryx said.

"Alright you guys, on the count of three, pull me back so I can reel this in! Alright?" Jet yelled.

"Alright!" The three responded.

"OK… one… two… three!"

Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx pulled Jet back with all their strength combined. The green avian pulled his fishing line back, continuing to reel in. He grit his teeth so hard it felt like it would come off completely.

Suddenly, a large fish came out of the water. The four watched in complete shock and surprise the mere beauty of the fish before it fell to the ground. Jet, Duke, Eryx, and Nezbitt jumped out of the way and landed on the ground. When they got back up, they saw what they had caught; the biggest fish all of them had seen in their life. The four boys looked up to see everyone staring at the group. Mido simply stared for a few seconds at the large fish before pointing at it.

"Okay, no more fish. THIS is our dinner."

* * *

Jet's catch, which was identified as a king salmon, was so large that the cooks of Camp Silver Lake found that it could feed all two hundred boys across all the cabins for a few days.

As such, the boys of the camp had fish tacos in the mess hall that night. Everyone commented on the amazing quality of the fish, meanwhile, Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx told their story to Storm.

"And you're saying Jet caught this massive thing?" The albatross asked.

"Yeah! …with the help of us of course," said Duke.

Storm bit into his taco before looking at Jet.

"Nice going, Jet! Gotta say, you sure got us something good. And this wasn't the first time either, what with us and the capture the flag thing. You deserve a lot more credit."

Jet rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, thanks Storm. What can I saw? My aura of awesomeness follows me _everywhere._ "

The two avians fist bumped while Jet continued to look at Storm.

 _"Man… Storm is such a great friend…"_ The hawk thought, grinning. _"I wish he could be by me forever and ever…"_

His eyes widened when he realized what he had just thought.

 _"Whoa… that totally doesn't sound weird in any way…"_ He rolled his eyes. _"_ _Geez Jet, what's going on with you? Why'd you think that?"_

* * *

After dinner, the scoutmaster had once again, met with the boys in front of the podium.

"Now, since you boys haven't had a bath in four days, and by the Great One some of you smell, it's time you boys head to the showers," The lion said.

"Being rather blunt with us, eh Scoutmaster?" Duke asked.

"That and you're probably a prime example of what I mean."

Everyone began to laugh and point at Duke as his face grew intensely red. He turned away, not wanting to look at anyone.

After everyone calmed down, the Scoutmaster pointed to a building next to the mess hall.

"That's where all your showers will be. You will need to bring a towel that hopefully you brought, as we don't have enough for everybody. Now, because of… safety reasons, we will ask that Cabin A and B boys shower first. Then Cabin C and D."

"Safety reasons?" asked Storm.

"They don't want any of us big boys to hump the little kiddies. Although I guarantee it's probably directed towards whoever's the closeted fag," Duke chuckled.

Jet and Storm simply looked at him, then at each other. They scowled, not approving of Duke's… choice of words.

"I don't get the humor in that," said Storm, shaking his head.

"Trust me, dude, neither do I," responded Jet.

* * *

When it was Cabin C and D's turn to shower, Jet, Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx stood up and walked to the showers.

Soon after they entered (along with the other boys in Cabin C and D), everyone began to walk to the stalls, hoping to get their own shower stall and not have to wait.

While Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx were able to get a stall, Jet and Storm were unable to get one. As a result, the two avians sat on a stone bench of sorts (it was more of a slab), and waited for their turn.

"Say Jet, I've been meaning to ask. What are those flame-like tattoos you have on your arm?" Storm asked, hoping to strike up a conversation to pass the time. The hawk looked at his arms.

"Oh these? These are the tattoos of the Babylon Rouges, the Extreme Gear group and band of thieves my dad is the leader of. He said that when I become of age, I'll take control of the Babylon Rouges," Jet replied.

"Really? Cause… well… I have tattoos that are like yours."

Storm put up his arms and showed Jet the dark grey, flame-like tattoos on his arms. Jet almost dropped his jaw when he saw them.

"W-What? How have I not noticed them?" Jet said.

"You don't really look at my arms, I guess," Storm stuck out his tongue.

"Then… are you related to one of the ancient Babylonians?"

"I think so? I never knew what these tattoos were for, but apparently I was born with them,"

"Born with? My dad talked about that… he said the leader of the Rouges gets their tattoos when the current leader is ready to pass down the group to another generation. But that the other two members are born with them, and the leader is supposed to find the two others…"

Jet grabbed Storm's hand.

"Tell you what. What if, whenever I become the leader of the Babylon Rouges, you can join the group too!"

"M-Me?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you're great on Extreme Gear!"

Storm rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno… I'm not the best…"

"Oh c'mon, if you want, I can train you, perhaps to be even better than me!"

A visible blush was on the albatross's beak. He looked down at the hawk's smiling face. "I-I'll do it! I'll join! T-Thanks, Jet…"

The hawk continued to smile at Storm, at least, not before having one final thought.

 _"He's so cute when he's embarrassed…"_

* * *

When the first batch of boys taking showers were finally done, Jet and Storm stood up and headed to a shower stall, not wanting to have to wait any longer.

The two pulled on the curtains and then took off their shirts and shorts off. They turned the faucets on, having a rush of hot water drip down their feathers and onto the floor. From the stall next to his, Storm could hear Jet softly singing.

 _"Oh man… he sings while in the shower… that is freaking adorable."_ Storm thought.

He then suddenly paused, looking back at what he had just thought.

 _"Why do I find that adorable? He's just singing, that's it… I-I mean, I won't lie… Jet is kinda cute, especially for his age."_

Storm slapped himself. Why had begun to see Jet as "cute"? It made it even more awkward considering that the two were male. Surely he didn't confuse his words, did he?

 _"We're probably just real good friends,"_ Storm assured himself. _"That's all, Storm. Nothing to lose your feathers at tonight. Yeah… good friends…"_

* * *

When their shower was finally over, Jet and Storm took their towels and wrapped them around their waists. They walked out of the shower and waited for their feathers to dry.

"Y'know, I hate it how when you walk out of a hot shower, it's suddenly freezing," The green avian said, rubbing his wet feathers.

"I know what you mean. Heck, I'm already cold myself…" responded the albatross as he shivered.

The two avians then saw Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx approach them.

"Well well, looks like shower time is done for you two. I'm sur 'the snappers' didn't get to you?" asked Duke.

"The snappers?" questioned Jet and Storm.

"Yeah, they take their tower and whack it against your leg like a whip! It's mainly the guys in Cabin D doing that. Trust me, Eryx got hit a few times."

The blue shelled armadillo hissed. "Please… don't remind me… My leg is still in pain…"

Duke, Nezbitt, Jet, and Storm then proceeded to laugh the night away.

* * *

When it was finally bed time, Jet noted how tired he was once he hit his bed.

"Geez… catching that fish was exhausting…" he mumbled. "And we barely did anything else today too…"

"And you get to do that again tomorrow! Fun huh?" said Duke.

"Don't mention it…"

Jet rolled over on his side and fell asleep even before lights out.


	5. Swimming on down by the Lake

**(AN: Another day, another new chapter! I've got nothing new to say, other than thank you for 200+ views! Enjoy the chapter!)**

* * *

 _"Jet? What's wrong? Are you OK?"_

 _Jet and Storm were currently in the showers, no one else inside the large room sans the two avians._

 _It only made the hawk become more nervous._

 _The albatross stepped closer to Jet, coming closer and closer to his face._

 _"You can tell me, Jet… There's nothing to be worried about… I'm your friend, aren't I?"_

 _Chest feathers touched as Jet stared into Storm's eyes, which seemed full of bliss despite his black sclera, making it look hollow. Jet tried to back up closer against the shower walls, but found that he was close enough as is. Storm placed his large hand on Jet's shoulder as the green hawk shivered at the warm touch. The albatross smiled as he reached in._

* * *

With a gasp, Jet woke up from his dream.

He took a deep breath as he put his hand on his chest.

"It… it was just a dream…" He breathed. Just as he took another deep breath, questions ran through Jet's mind.

For the past two weeks, he found himself having the same dream. Usually, he'd wake up from the dream early on, but today, it seems like he let it play out longer. Jet didn't know why Storm reached in closer to him in the dream, but the hawk knew it wasn't a good sign.

He then shook his head.

"Breakfast… breakfast should take my mind off of things…" Jet said to himself.

Grabbing a clean shirt and pulling it over his head, Jet walked outside of Cabin C and made his way to the Mess Hall. Getting his usual breakfast, he walked towards the table were Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx were sitting.

While he joined in on the four's conversation, Jet found himself looking at the albatross constantly, debating whether or not he should tell him about his dreams.

 _"Perhaps… no, it's best he shouldn't know. Besides, it's enough that I'm probably worrying him by not being how I usually am…"_

Jet looked down at the table, and continued to drink his milk. He only hoped he was making the right choice.

* * *

After breakfast, the five left the mess hall and were surprised to see the Scoutmaster at the podium. Jet, Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx walked up to the lion scout leader.

"Yo, what's going on?" The shark asked.

"I can't tell you yet, so wait for everyone else to finish breakfast." The Scoutmaster replied.

Duke rolled his eyes as he walked back to the four.

"Jerkass…" he muttered to himself.

The five friends continued their conversation from the Mess Hall until everyone else arrived in front of the podium. All the boys listened in for the Scoutmaster's announcement.

"Alright boys, listen up. I'm proud of how everyone's been doing their activities. So, to treat you to something nice, I'm calling today a free day. You are all free to do whatever you please, provided you don't cause any trouble!"

All the younger boys began to cheer as the older ones grinned at each other.

"Eyyy, this is what I'm talkin' 'bout!" Nezbitt said as he and Duke bumped fists.

"You are all now free to do your own things."

The scoutmaster left the podium as all the boys began to scatter about. Duke stood up in front of Jet, Storm, Nezbitt, and Eryx.

"Well guys, since it's a free day, how about we go swimming in the lake?" he asked. Immediately, Nezbitt froze up at the mention of swimming

"Swimming? Hm… you sure they'll let us do that?" asked Eryx.

"He's right, we're not sure if the lake is shallow enough," added Jet.

"Oh, stick a sock in it, Jet! I'm sure it's safe! And of course they would, Eryx! After all, they said we can do anything as long as we're not causing trouble! Now c'mon guys, I'm sure you brought swim wear right?"

"I'm… sure I did," Storm replied.

The hawk sighed. "Same, I guess. Should we check just to be certain?"

* * *

Duke had gone ahead with his bag and waited for Jet, Storm, Nezbitt, and Eryx down by the lake where they had skipped stones on their first day. After almost getting lost, the four found Duke sitting by the water. He got up at the sight of his friends.

"There you are! What happened? I was getting impatient you know!"

"Duke, we were only gone for like five minutes," Eryx said flatly.

"Sorry Duke, Nezbitt here almost got us lost because he didn't want to go," Jet explained.

"Didn't want to go? What are you talking about Nezbitt? Swimming's amazing!" Duke sputtered.

The hair on Nezbitt's fur raised at the thought of entering the water. Eryx sighed.

"Don't you remember Nezbitt's a cat, Duke? He doesn't like the water," The blue shelled armadillo explained. Duke scoffed.

"So what? As long as someone helps him, he should be fine. Besides, didn't he cross the water whenever Jet and Storm won Capture the Flag?"

"T-That's because I was adrenaline-fueled! This is different!" Nezbitt said.

"No no no, Nezbitt Nezbitt, Duke's right about that…" Eryx said. "I think I have an extra pair of trunks here, I can help you swim."

As Eryx rummaged through his bag, Jet and Storm looked at each other.

"I say we head in and let them catch up," The albatross said.

"Yeah, let's do that," The hawk replied

The two avians began to take off their shirts as they pulled off their shoes and their normal camp shorts, which had their swimming trunks underneath them. Jet slightly blushed when he saw Storm's trunks were a light purple.

However, he heard Duke chuckle from afar.

"What? What's so funny?" asked the large grey avian.

"Ha ha, out of all the colors you could have gotten, you got purple?!"

"What's wrong with that?" The hawk asked.

"Yeah Duke, I think it looks cool," said Eryx.

"I dunno what's up with you three… purple is not manly…"

Jet shook his head. "Don't worry about him, you look good in that."

"Do I really?"

The green avian slightly jumped back as his blush returned, realizing what he said. "Uh, y-yeah… um… y-you know what I mean… it fits you…" He stuttered. If he could slap himself at any moment, now would be it.

Storm looked at Jet, but then smiled. "Thanks Jet. Yours fits you too," The large grey avian pointed to Jet's black shorts. "Anyway, what do you say? Wanna race to the lake?"

Jet got a grin on his face. "You know how I am about races! You're on!"

The two avians ran towards the lake as fast as they could and cannonballed into the water. Jet and Storm swam up to the surface for air.

"Ha ha, I won that one!" Jet exclaimed.

"Well, alright… I'll give this win to you…" Storm said, admitting defeat (as much as he didn't like to).

Jet laughed as he splashed around. Duke dove down into the water, swam up to Jet and Storm and popped his head up from the water.

"Why hi there. Don't think you two forgot about me. And well, them too," Duke said, looking over at Eryx and Nezbitt. The three watched the armadillo bring the cat into the water.

"Come on, don't be scared. I've got you, hang onto me, don't let go, and you won't get scared," Eryx said in a comforting tone. The cat nodded as he visibly shook hard.

Jet dived down into the water and swam around, looking at the bottom of the lake for anything interesting. While there was mostly moss almost everywhere, a note sticking out from under a rock caught Jet's attention. He swam over to the rock and pulled it up, grabbing the note. His eyes widened when he saw it was a one mobobuck bill.

Jet swam to the surface and held the bill like a trophy.

"Hey, look at what I found!" He exclaimed. Storm, Duke, and Eryx (with Nezbitt clinging onto him) swam towards Jet.

"Oh that's real nice!" Duke said. "I think I deserve that-"

Jet swiped the bill away from him. "Over my dead body!"

"Keep it, that's a lucky buck I guarantee!" said Storm.

"Speaking of lucky, let's see if that luck continues for you," Duke said. "Boys, I challenge you to a race. We're gonna race to the other side of the lake, and back. Obviously, whoever wins gets bragging rights."

"You're on! I live and breathe competition!" said Jet.

"Well, if Jet's joining in, better do the same. This outta be fun. I hope you're ready for this!" said Storm.

"Nezbitt? What do you think?" asked Eryx.

"As long as I'M on the surface, it's fine. But drop me into the water and I'll claw your face off, Eryx!" Nezbitt threatened.

"Ha ha! Alright, alright, you got it."

* * *

A minute later, the four (five if you counted Nezbitt) lined up against the edge of the lake. Jet looked at Storm and nodded, the albatross nodding back.

"Alright guys…" Duke said. "Three… two… one…"

"GO!"

The four trailed off and began swimming as hard as they could. Duke easily swam due to him being a shark; however Eryx immediately found himself having trouble. He lagged behind greatly due to the cat on his back.

"Argh… dang, I don't think I can keep going on…" Eryx said.

"C'mon, we need those bragging rights!" Nezbitt exclaimed. "Go, GO!"

Jet and Storm paddled their feet up and down as they swam freestyle, hoping to catch up with Duke. However, it wasn't enough. Duke finished his lap, then Storm, then Jet, and finally Eryx and Nezbitt.

"Awh yeah! Look who's number one!" Duke bragged, raising his fists in the air once Jet, Storm, and Eryx caught up.

"Duh, that's because you're a shark!" Jet complained.

"And you don't have extra weight on you!" The blue shelled armadillo said.

"Complain, nag, and moan, that's all I hear. Alright then, if it's THAT troublesome, then how about a rematch?"

Before Jet could open his mouth, Storm intervened.

"Let me race you in Jet, Eryx, and Nezbitt's favor. I'll show you who's boss!" The albatross said.

"Ooh, cocky aren't we, Storm? OK, then it's settled. Storm, starting position."

Storm got into stance as he put on a serious face.

"You can do it, Storm!" Jet cheered out from where he was, bringing his balled fists up to his chest.

"Three… two… one… GO!"

Storm and Duke immediately swam off, and the albatross beginning to catch up to Duke as he was nearly half way there. Storm looked up from the water and grinned at Duke just as they were about to turn around. The shark huffed as he dashed off.

"YOU GOT THIS, STORM!" Jet's cheering echoed in Storm's mind.

 _"I won't lose… I made a promise to Jet… he's depending on m_ e."

With confidence from the hawk, Storm dived into the water and kicked up and down, violently swimming to get to the other side. Duke was almost close to finishing up when all of a sudden, a trail of grey feathers looking like a fin poked out of the water was right beside of Duke. The albatross pulled his hand out of the water and placed it on shore.

Storm came up onto land and took a deep breath.

"WHAT?!" Duke yelled, coming out of the water. "HOW'D YOU WIN?!"

"Aha! Nice job, Storm! You won!" Jet exclaimed as he swam over to his friend. The two avians squeezed their hands together hard as they grinned at each other. They could hear Duke audibly groaning.

"Don't worry, Duke, it could be worse. You could be swimming with all of us on your back!" Eryx said.

"Oh go hump a stump, Eryx…" Duke said, annoyed.

* * *

After single-heartedly destroying Duke's ego, Jet, Storm, Duke, and Eryx swam until the lunch time hour.

The five got out of the water and walked to their bags, getting out their towels. Jet and Storm dried their feathers as the hawk looked at the albatross. He suddenly remembered the dream he had. Remembering how he failed to tell him during breakfast, Jet wonder if he should mention it to Storm now.

 _"N-No! It's like I said, it's better to not get him worried… but… maybe he can help me figure out my problem…"_ Jet thought.

"Hey, Storm?"

"Hm? Yeah Jet?"

Jet looked at the ground, forming the courage to confess to Storm. "Can I… ask you something? Kinda important actually?"

"Hm? What is it, Jet?"

Suddenly, before the green avian could open his mouth, the two heard Duke call out for them.

"C'mon guys! Hurry up! Surely you don't wanna be late for lunch right? I think they have pulled pork today, and I'm not missing that at all!" The shark yelled.

"Alright, we're coming!" Jet replied. He and Storm placed their towels in their bags as they pulled their shirts over their heads.

The five then walked back to the camp grounds.

"Anyway, Jet, you said you wanted to ask me something. What was it?" asked Storm.

A chill ran through Jet's spine as he remembered the question. He knew it was either telling Storm, or keep it secret.

"It's… it's nothing… don't worry too much, it's nothing huge," Jet said, first thing coming to mind.

"Oh. Whatever, I won't pry at you for anything…"

Storm shrugged as just as the five arrived at camp, walking forwards towards the Mess Hall.

"Hey, I'll see you at the Mess Hall, okay? I… need a minute," The hawk said.

"Sure thing, see you then," Storm replied. And with that, the albatross left along with the other boys of Camp Silver Lake.

As he watched the large grey avian enter inside, Jet snarled and stomped his foot on the ground angrily. He then smashed his fist onto the closest surface; a wood stick holding up a sign.

 _"You are such an IDIOT, Jet! You could have told him and saved yourself pain!"_ One part of Jet's mind told him.

 _"No, Jet, you did the right thing. As you said, it's best not to let him worry…"_ The other part of Jet's mind told him.

"Argh!" Jet groaned, holding his head. "Why can't I do something so simple?!"

The hawk exhaled deeply as he walked to the mess hall.

"Dang mind…"

After lunch, Jet and Storm decided to pass the time by playing go fish. By now, the hawk calmed down from his earlier outburst.

"Let's see… got any… sixes?" asked Storm.

"Go fish," Jet responded.

"Awh, dang it!" Storm was almost a second close from slamming his cards down onto the table. Pouting rather cutely, he took a card from the card pile as it was now Jet's turn.

"Got any two's?"

The albatross sighed as he passed the hawk all the two cards he had in his hand. Jet grinned as he finished his last stack.

"I win!"

Storm rolled his eyes as Jet put all the cards together.

"Hey g-guys…" A voice said behind Jet. The two avians looked and saw Duke and Capricorn with various bruises all over their face.

"Whoa… what happened?" asked Jet, standing up.

"Let's just say, it involved some of the girls, a rock, the lake, and that's all you need to know…" Duke said.

"Shall we get help from the nurse?..." Capricorn said lazily.

"You said it…"

The two lazily walked away as Jet and Storm looked at each other, shrugging before starting another game of go fish.

"You think the guys here would take a hint and stop messing with the girls…" Storm said.

"Tragically, you have a lot of uneducated fools here," Jet responded.

* * *

Nightfall finally fell upon Camp Silver Lake and Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx were inside Cabin C, having a late night conversation. Duke was sharing one of his experiences from public school.

"And like, when the teacher tells me I can't use the bathroom, guess what? We were talking about the water cycle."

Jet, Nezbitt, and Eryx began to laugh hard as Duke continued his story. Suddenly, Mido slammed the door of Cabin C open,looking very sleepy.

"It… is almost midnight… just because today was a free day doesn't mean you get to stay up. So… GET SOME SLEEP!"

The door slammed hard as everyone in the Cabin C scattered towards their beds, hoping to not make Mido any angrier. Jet leaped onto his bed as the other boys did the same. His eyes then shut at the enjoyment of today's events just as the lights flickered out.

However, not long into his sleep, his mind kept flashing back to his dream from earlier that day.


	6. Kayaking and Some New Feelings

**(AN: Whew boy, time for a new chapter! I'm quite psyched today, been doing better, and hey, we're halfway through the story! I'm surprised it's been that long tbh :O**

 **Anyway, I thought that this story could use a small reference, so why don't we reference Sonic Boom? Yeah, there's a Boom ref hidden somewhere in this chapter (hint: it's really easy to find lol). And speaking of chapter, it seems new feelings start for Jet! (It's in the title of the Chapter after all...)**

 **As for any last minute words, a little bit of trivia, but when I first wrote this chapter about a year ago, it was FAR shorter with less detail, so for this rewrite, I HEAVILY edited it and added more details.**

 **But enough trivia from me, enjoy!)**

* * *

It was now July.

The days only got hotter, but the fun at the camp didn't stop. Sure, even if Jet and the others did the same activities each day, there was always something new that happened.

And not to mention… Jet and Storm themselves. The two had gotten closer and closer since their first meeting on the first day of camp. They almost seemed inseparable now, or at least, according to many of the boys at Camp Silver Lake.

On this particular morning, the green avian wanted a slight bit of revenge for Duke's water prank last month, so he, Eryx, and Nezbitt woke up early, and surrounded the shark's bed.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," Jet sung.

The trio were hovered above the shark, who was sound asleep. They could hear Duke yawn as he shuffled in his bed and opened his eyes, staring at Jet in particular.

"Jet, there's no 'eggs and bakey' in here like you say. Unless you're feeding me in bed, which is kinda weird dude," Duke said, rubbing his eyes.

"Well there won't be eggs and bakey if you don't head your ass over to the mess hell. So I recommend waking up about now. After all, we've been waiting for you," said Eryx, leaning on the wall.

"Alright alright, geez. Since when were you three my mom now?" asked Duke as he got out of bed and stretched.

"Since about now because I say so," Jet answered.

"And since when was I involved in this?" questioned Nezbitt as he pointed to himself, eyes widening.

"Since I became friends with you, jackass. Now c'mon guys, let's get some grub…"

Duke climbed out of bed before grabbing some clothes. Just as he was about to pull off his shirt, he stared at his three friends.

"Uh, turn around! I don't need another guy looking at me change!"

The three obliged, and waited for Duke to change. Sure enough, he was ready less than a minute later, and the four walked to the mess hall and got their breakfast for the day (eggs, toast, and sausages).

Sitting at the table they usually sat at, the four Cabin C boys watched Storm enter the mess hall, grab his breakfast along with the other boys, and walked over to Jet's table. He sat next to the hawk as usual.

"Morning, Storm. Did you have a good night's sleep?" Jet asked.

"Yup, sure did," replied the albatross as he stretched his arms, the muscles on his arms flexing.

"So guys, don't wanna interrupt your daily "how did you sleep" tradition, but I should feel like I should inform you of something," Eryx said. "It's been a month since we've been here, so you know what that means?"

"We're… We're changing activities today…" Nezbitt realized.

"Then… we're doing…" Duke said with excitement.

"We're going kayaking!" Jet exclaimed. The hawk, shark, cat, and blue shelled armadillo had a small celebration of high fives and "yeahs!" as Storm observed the four.

"So uh, I'm kinda lost here. What's so important about kayaking?" The large grey avian asked.

"Oh man, since this is your first year, I'll explain," Jet said. "Ever since we've come to Camp Silver Lake, we've been waiting to kayak. You see, every month, we change activities like Nezbitt said. And the thing is; kayaking is only for the camp goers that are fourteen and older, so we've been doing some stupid thing where we have to build a small kart of out different supplies we find in the forest and some things the counselor's supply. Fun for your first time, but after the second the third? It gets old fast. Trust me when I say that we've been waiting for this day."

The hawk took a breather as he drank some of his milk.

"And now, it's finally come. Oh boy, it makes me so excited!" Nezbitt said, already becoming giddy.

"Hey, don't get your pants all coiled up, it's not time yet. You can go nuts once we get there, alright?" said Duke.

"Sorry sorry, I'm just pumped!"

"Well, if you guys are excited, I sure have a reason to be now!" Storm said.

* * *

After breakfast, the five boys went in front of the podium along with the coming crowd of the other boys in Camp Silver Lake.

Soon enough, everyone was seated in front of the podium as the Scoutmaster walked up to it, holding a clipboard.

"Alright boys, listen up! It's been a month since we've started the summer here at Camp Silver Lake, so I'm sure you've adjusted well to the camp and your activities," He said.

Jet shrugged. While he did continue catching more fishes and learned how to use different kind of tools such as nets and even a cage, all of his catches didn't compare to the king salmon he caught on the first day of fishing. All he cared about was kayaking.

"Well, since a month has passed, you are now going to be given new activities for this month. These two will somewhat combine two letter cabins together however."

The lion leader looked at his clipboard, then at the crowd of boys.

"If you are under the age of thirteen, you all will be doing go-kart making together."

Many of the newer children in Cabin A cheered as most of the kids in Cabin B and C (at least, the ones in Cabin C who were under 14) sighed, knowing it wasn't their time to kayak yet.

"And anyone over fourteen will kayak."

A large amount of "all rights!" were heard from the various boys, including Jet, Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx.

"Follow your camp counselors, and they'll guide you to the way. Now… begone!"

"Cabin C and D!" Mido and the counselor for Cabin D yelled as the boys began to get up. Jet, Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx followed the camp counselors as they made their way towards the left exit of the camp.

* * *

After passing the girls camp and going past the normal lake, Jet and Storm were in awe at the sight in front of them.

"A river that goes down… waterfalls everywhere…" Storm said.

"It's just like a dream isn't it?" Jet said.

"This… this is what I've been waiting for years… now, we finally get to see these sights, kayak to new places…" Duke said.

"Don't get too excited now, we're not on the kayak boats yet," Mido said.

"I've never seen a place like this…" Eryx mused.

"Alright kiddywinks, settle down," The camp counselor of Cabin D said. "Now, kayaking is one of our most fun activities here at Camp Silver Lake. However, it does have its risks. So for your safety, Mido and I are going to demonstrate the safety procedures you're going to take while you kayak. After all, we know that you guys wanna have fun."

"However, first thing first," said Mido. "We have a total of one hundred kids here correct? Well, since we only have fifty kayaking boats, you will all need to share with someone. Preferably, one person from Cabin C and D together. Line up everyone; we'll be calling out your partners."

Jet and Storm looked at each other and grinned, hoping that they'd be paired up together.

However Jet and Storm were not partners. Instead, the hawk was paired up with a large blue dragon named Paulie, and the albatross was paired up with Capricorn.

Mido got into the boat. "Now, because there's two to a boat, you'll need to work together to row the boat. First, like you'd do with a car, buckle your belt like so."

The camp counselor did the action he described.

"Next, you'll both control one paddle. Now, please for the Great One's sake, DON'T row it as fast as you can. I've seen THAT mistake done by so many people. Instead, you need to row it nice and gently so you have a good speed. And, since I'm sure you wish to see the heights you see near you..." Mido then pointed at the tall waterfalls and rock structures. "You'd also want to slow down to see those properly. Trust me, I've been here for years and they STILL manage to impress me."

The Cabin D counselor continued on. "There's one more thing though: no horseplay while on the boat. One mistake could easily drown someone, as the water here is quite shallow. Do you ALL of you understand?"

"Yes, we understand," All the boys said.

"Alright, then it's time. Follow me and we'll get you and your partner your kayak."

The boys followed Mido and the Cabin D counselor as Storm walked up to Jet.

"This is gonna be exciting! I've never been kayaking…" The grey avian said.

"I haven't either, but now that day has come, baby!" exclaimed the hawk. Storm chuckled.

"Y'know, I kinda thought you were calling ME baby. Err, not that I have a problem with that of course."

As Storm walked off, hand behind his head, Jet's mind stopped.

What did Storm mean by he had no problem with that? After all, most, if not all of the boys here would call the statement 'gay' (as many kids in his school said nowadays), but… Storm didn't react negatively.

"H-Ha… yeah… Don't worry, you're good. Heh heh…"

As Jet walked to his boat, he bit his lip.

* * *

After getting their boat and strapping in their seatbelts, Jet and Paulie's boat was finally sent into the water. Jet looked around in admiration of the sights surrounding him.

"Wow…. this is amazing!" he said, mouth wide open.

Storm, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx paddled their boat's over to the green avain's boat.

"Isn't this amazing, guys?"

"Yup, can't believe I'm actually doing this!" The cat exclaimed.

"Neither can I!" The blue shelled armadillo responded.

They all saw Mido and Cabin D's counselor in a boat as they rowed in front of everyone else.

"Alright, boys! We'll be doing some simple paddling around before we head off into the inner cliffs. All you'll need to do is follow us," Mido said.

"Follow you? Why?" asked a cougar in Cabin C.

"Well, you don't know your damn way around here, now do you? Anyway, let's move!"

Jet paddled slowly as he heard Duke complain.

"C'mon… slow? I wanna head to the inner cliffs!" The shark muttered.

"Patience is key, Duke," Jet replied.

He found it rather amusing that he was telling someone to have patience. The hawk was known as someone who had little patience, a trait he inherited from his father.

"Patience shmatience, still is too slow for me…"

"Say kid, you really hang around him?" Paulie asked. Jet nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

"I dunno, he seems like a… a jerk off to me."

"A jerk off?!"

"Huh? Dunno what that is?"

"I... NO, I DON'T."

Now Jet was confused. What was THIS guy on?

"Hm, doesn't seem like you know either way... Eh, you'll learn sooner or later. Though I'd give you some advice, if you're hiding some sort of secret or something, it's probably best him of all people doesn't find out."

"W-What? What are you talking about? What secret?"

The hawk only got more confused. What on Mobius was this person talking about? Whatever the case to the hawk, he was more cuckoo then he thought.

"Trust me; he might not wanna be your friend if he finds out."

"Again, what secret are you talking about? I can't know unless you tell me!" Jet responded, becoming more aggravated as he kept talking to Paulie.

The dragon sighed. "Never mind kid, it's just some future advice. Besides, I'm kinda just practicing for a fortune telling thing, and it was just a lucky guess. Though, you're not hiding anything… are you?"

Jet slightly jumped back.

He reminded himself of the strange dreams he had been having that had Storm involved and how lately, he's been feeling warm whenever he's around the albatross. But Jet knew he wouldn't come clean with the truth.

"No… I'm not."

"Oh, well… forget I said anything…"

 _"What a weirdo…"_ Jet thought to himself as he turned his attention behind him, noticing they were coming close to the cliffs. He had been distracted by the dragon's so-called 'fortune telling' that he didn't even notice they were coming close.

However, before Jet had time to view the breathtaking sight, he began to think over the situation with Paulie.

 _"Tch, who's this guy think he is? I'm not hiding anything… but… what if he is right? Maybe… maybe he IS right… I shouldn't tell Duke about this, maybe not Nezbitt or ever Eryx as well. I'm sure they'd all react badly. I just need to keep this to myself, and that'll be that,"_ Jet thought to himself.

Hoping to wash away his nervousness, Jet began to look at the various sights around him. The water from the waterfalls fell as they hit the downstream river, making a roaring sound.

"Now this is what I like to see!" Duke yelled due to the noise of the waterfalls.

"Hey Jet? Liking this so far?" Storm called out to Jet. The hawk turned to face the grey avian.

"Oh yeah, totally!"

The albatross grinned as he rowed further, passing by Jet. As they started moving upstream, Mido suddenly blew a whistle.

"Attention everyone! As a fair warning, as we start going more upstream, the current will start to go faster, so be sure your seatbelts are in place, and row gently like usual. Rowing faster like I've been seeing some of you doing here is very, very dangerous," The Cabin C counselor warned.

Seconds after making the announcement, the currents began picking up as the boats began travelling faster. Jet and Paulie continued to row at their normal speed as they saw Duke and Nezbitt's boat speeding along.

"WOO-HOO!" they both yelled as the currents picked up. Jet smirked at the two's silliness as suddenly, the boat violently stopped. Jet and Paulie shifted hard in place as they began to feel their shoes getting wet.

"Huh? What's going on?" asked Jet.

'Beats me…" responded Paulie. They looked down and saw a chunk of rock poking out from the bottom of the boat.

"U-Uh… Mido! We have a stuck boat!" someone yelled. Mido and the Cabin D counselor looked up and saw Jet and Paulie's boat.

" _Shit…"_ Mido muttered under his breath. "Don't worry you two, we'll get help!" He yelled. Jet undid his seatbelt.

"What are you doing kid?!" The dragon asked. "Didn't you hear what they said?!"

"Moving the boat out of the way!" Jet responded. He got up and put his hands on the side of the boat, attempting to push it out.

However, as he did, he shifted the boat too hard. Paulie yelped as the green avian squawked loudly as he fell out from the boat. Despite his attempts to stop his fall, Jet's voice was drowned out as he hit the water. Everyone looked up and began to yell, starting a commotion.

"Guys! Jet just fell out!" Capricorn yelled. Duke undid his belt immediately.

"Don't worry Jet! I got ya-"

Before Duke could get up, they saw someone else getting into the water. Eryx noticed the reflection in the water. A large… grey… albatross…

"STORM?! We gotta follow them!" The blue shelled armadillo yelled.

* * *

Jet attempted to swim up to the surface many times, gasping for air.

However, due to the raging current, he was unable to. He attempted to hold his breath in as he began swimming as fast as he could, moving his arms and legs as swiftly as he could do. The hawk finally got to the surface as he took a long and deep breath, until being sucked back into the water.

He tried to swim back up, but as the current started getting faster and faster and the water got deeper, the green avian was unlucky. As he fell deeper into the water, Jet released a set of bubbles from his mouth as he became motionless and his eyes closed.

Just before it seemed like the end for Jet, a pair of long, strong arms grabbed the unconscious Jet and went back up to the surface. Storm took a deep breath as he looked at his stationary friend.

"Don't worry pal, I got you…" he said.

As the current moved faster and faster to wherever they were heading, Storm placed his hand on Jet's cheek, which was still slightly warm. He looked Jet and saw that… even though he was unconscious… he looked quite cute.

The albatross shook his head. He knew his top priority was to get Jet breathing again, not to be thinking about how 'cute' his unconscious friend looked.

Storm continued to cradle Jet in his arms as the current continued to take them downstream.

* * *

Back with the boys from Cabin C and D, they began to row as quickly as possible to try and catch up with Jet and Storm.

"Oh Chaos… please tell me Jet's gonna be alright…" Eryx said anxiously.

"Hey kid, don't get a panic attack now. We're gonna get your friend back," Eryx's partner, a purple monkey said.

"C'mon guys! Let's go faster for Jet!" Duke yelled at Nezbitt and Eryx as the shark began paddling fast and hard. The two friends began to do the same as their partners screamed from how fast they were travelling.

* * *

Storm's eyes widened as they finally reached the end and fell into the lake of Camp Silver Lake, not too far from the girl's camp.

"Huh… who knew the waterfall connected to the lake," The albatross said to himself.

While the large grey avian knew it was a better idea to go to the girl's camp since it was closer, he knew that that his and Jet's presence would be much uninvited, especially with Wave there. Looking at the girl's camp one more time and shaking his head, he put on a face of confidence. Storm began to paddle towards the shore of the boy's camp, still holding Jet in his arms.

However, even though Storm could say he was a very strong person, the excess water on Jet's clothes made him heavier, which in turn, caused his arms to ache.

Storm took off Jet's shirt in an attempt to make him lighter as it somewhat worked. He put the shirt over his shoulder as he continued to swim.

* * *

"Hey, Wave, the toilet's broken again. Could you get some water from the lake first before you can repair it?" One of the girls in Cabin D said.

"Ugh, again?" The swallow replied. "Fine fine…"

As Wave grabbed the bucket in the corner, she grumbled. "This is the third time this month… Just because I'M the mechanic girl in this camp doesn't mean I have to fix every damn thing here…"

The purple swallow left her Cabin and made her way to the lake, passing by many girls. As she sat by the lake, collecting water, she noticed two figures in the distance.

She brought down the glasses on her head as she saw who they were; Jet and Storm.

Upon seeing the two male avians, she rolled her eyes. _"What the heck are they doing here…"_ She thought to herself.

It was only then she noticed that Storm held Jet in his arms, who was… shirtless. The swallow eyed the two.

"Huh…" Wave said to herself. There… had to be something up with them. Something… no one else knew… But what it was, Wave didn't know.

As she was done collecting water, she looked back, and… smiled.

* * *

The boys of Cabin's C and D finally reached the lake. Mido took out his binoculars and saw the pair of birds swimming closer to shore.

"There they are! Boys, follow them!"

The boys began to paddle their way towards shore as Storm was almost close to his goal. He slightly shook Jet.

"Don't worry Jet, we're almost there. C'mon, you can do it," The albatross assured.

Hearing no response, it only fueled Storm's determination to reach shore. He grit his teeth just as the boys began to catch up.

Soon enough, Storm finally reached shore. He got out of the water quickly and placed Jet on the ground.

"Storm! Is he alright?!" Duke yelled as the boats now reached shore.

"I don't know! Lemme just get him back on his feet OK?!" Storm responded.

He placed his hands on Jet's chest and remembering the CPR classes he took as a preteen, began to pump on the hawk's white feathery chest. However, despite a few minutes of pumping his chest, Storm still couldn't get Jet breathing. He still has a pulse, so Storm knew he had to go with drastic measures.

The albatross took a deep breath and placed his beak on Jet's own beak and blew into his mouth.

The other kids of Cabin's C and D watched as they saw Jet's chest rising. The green avian coughed up water as Storm took his mouth off of Jet's. Mido and the Cabin D counselor brought Jet up from the ground and pat his back, getting all the water out from his body.

"Yo, Jet, are you feeling alright?" Duke asked.

"Y-Yeah… I guess so…" Jet replied.

"Man, we're glad to see you're OK," Eryx said, taking a quick sigh. "I'm glad Storm was able to help you."

 _"Storm?"_ Jet thought. _"So… he was the one who put his mouth on mine's…"_

"Well, it was nothin'… anything to help out a friend," The large grey albatross said. He hugged Jet tightly as soon as Mido and the Cabin D counselor were done. "I'm… so glad to see you're okay…"

"Thanks pal. I owe you one a lot. And… I'm glad to see you've helped me…" Jet replied

 _"Yeah… I… I liked it…"_ The hawk thought.

* * *

Due to the incident, Mido questioned whether or not to continue doing kayaking and to report what happened to the Scoutmaster.

However, due to the budging and convincing that everyone had, the camp counselor knew he had to continue with kayaking, only this time in a much safer area. He knew he HAD to tell the Scoutmaster, but knew that if he cancelled kayaking, all the teens would have his head.

Though, instead of having his mind on kayaking like everyone else, Jet thought back to when Storm supposedly gave him CPR. He couldn't see it happening, but he felt it. Just thinking about it gave Jet a strange warm and fuzzy feeling.

 _"Is… is this the secret Paulie predicted?"_ The hawk thought.

He tried to avoid the thought of Storm, until a horrid thought came into his mind.

 _"Oh… oh god… what if… what if I… have a crush on him?"_

Now Jet began to panic. He knew most of the kids here often made jokes towards homosexuality, so if they found out that someone who was now beginning to have quite a reputation had a crush on his male friend would mean the end for not just his reputation, but his life. Not to mention, how would his friends at home, Storm, or… his own father feel?

The green avian took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down.

 _"OK… OK Jet… it's fine… don't worry… you're just friends… Storm wouldn't see you like that, so you don't need to panic…"_

"Hey, Jet! You… you feeling OK?" A gruff voice called out. Jet's eyes widened as he looked to the side and saw Storm in his boat.

"Oh… no don't worry, I'm fine." Jet replied.

"Are you sure? You look scared…"

"I-I'm fine… I'm sure of it."

Storm nodded as he rowed off. Jet sighed.

* * *

It was sundown when Jet and the other boys returned back to camp. However, the hawk was silent the entire time. Even sitting at his table at dinnertime didn't warrant any words from him.

"Jet, you sure you OK?" Duke asked as he noticed Jet not talking.

"I'm fine…"

"You sure? I think that whole "almost drowning" thing might have screwed you up a bit. Whatever the case may be, I hope you feel better," Nezbitt said.

"Yeah same, I don't want to see my friend getting ill," said Storm. "Maybe you could use some sleep…"

Jet felt a blush on his face as he nodded, hiding himself in his arms..

An hour later, it was finally bed time. The lights in Cabin C were out as everyone was fast asleep…

Everyone except Jet, who was looking at the night sky from out the screen window.

 _"Please… oh please tell me I'll be able to find a solution to my problem… Please tell me I don't have a genuine crush… Please tell me I'll be alright in the end…"_ He thought as the moon illuminated his face.

Jet's wish to the stars was the last thoughts he had before falling asleep.


	7. The Fireworks Show

**(AN: And so here we are! I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, so let the time of confessions finally begin! And with that as well, let's reference something new this chapter. We referenced an episode of Sonic Boom last time, so this time, let's do... hmm... the first five minutes of The End of Evangelion ;** **)**

 **Also, thank you for the new reviews!)**

 **WARNING: Starting from this chapter is when this fic is going to be almost breaking T rated territory and almost hitting M rated. The beginning of this chapter is proof of that, so please be ready.**

* * *

 _The slow moving stream of water flowed through the various boats as the couples on them sat together, content being alone with their loved one._

 _Among these couples were an older Jet and Storm, sitting together as they looked up at the sky above them._

 _"Man, tonight's a good night is it not?" Jet said._

 _"Yeah, but out of everything that makes tonight special, it's you. You look gorgeous tonight," Storm said, putting his hand on the hawk's cheek. Jet chuckled as he blushed heavily._

 _"Oh you… stop it, Storm, you're making me blush," The hawk said._

 _The albatross looked down at his avian lover as he reached in for a kiss. Jet returned the loving kiss from Storm as the two kissed under the starry night._

 _Their kiss became more heated, and lover's passion grew stronger as the kiss turned into a make out session. Storm began to unbutton the dress shirt Jet had on until-_

* * *

Jet awoke from his dream.

He looked up at the ceiling and saw he was in Cabin C. With the CPR Storm gave him yesterday that felt like a kiss, Jet realized he had to come to terms with a great issue.

 _"I c-can't! I won't do it! I don't think about Storm that way!"_ He thought.

However, his body wasn't telling him so.

Jet suddenly stopped in his tracks, realizing that below his pants, he felt very …stiff.

The green avian grew red when he realized what it was.

He looked around Cabin C and saw that no one was there.

"Well… I'm… all alone…"

Jet moved his covers as he reached his hand lower and lower, inching near his shorts.

For the next five minutes, the only noise heard in Cabin C was Jet's groans, his breath, and his soft moans as he thought about the dream he had. A tingling sensation went through Jet's entire body as he closed his eyes. Finishing his moment of lust, Jet opened his eyes and gasped at the sight.

A silky white fluid covered his feathered hand.

Jet simply lay in bed as he stared at the stained hand.

"…I… I do have a crush on him…" He softly admitted to himself. The hawk lowered his head, ashamed at himself for what he did.

"I'm so fucked up…"

* * *

After digging through some of the camper's bags and finding some tissues to clean himself up, Jet walked out of Cabin C. He made himself low profile, still feeling guilty about what he did. As he walked over to the Mess Hall, the hawk noticed various people wheeling in carts of fireworks.

"What's that for?" Jet asked himself.

He shook his head. Not wanting to bug them, he entered the Mess Hall. Inside, Jet looked to his right and saw Storm already sitting at their usual table. He blushed at the sight of the large albatross, remembering his dream. However, he tried to block it from his memory as he went to grab his breakfast.

Turning his head away from the large grey avian, he got his breakfast, and walked over to the table he sat at since day one. Jet sat down next to Storm.

"Well sleepyhead, someone's slept in today," Duke teased. Jet looked down, not saying a word as he began to eat.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Rough night…" Jet said, making up a lie.

"Really? Do… do you wanna talk about it?" Storm asked. This was the last thing needed, as he knew he wouldn't be able to control himself, and let his secret spill.

"I'm… I'm good, Storm. Thanks though…"

Deciding to change the rather moody topic, Eryx spoke up. "Anyway… did you guys see the fireworks?"

"Oh, yeah, I saw people wheeling them in when I was walking towards here. What's going on?" Jet asked, deciding to speak up.

"You don't know? Today's the day of the Fireworks Festival! Every two years, the boys and girls camp hold a fireworks festival and they ignite all kinds of fireworks. It's memorable because towards the end, they let out all the huge ones. I'm excited as heck!" Duke explained.

"Oh yeah… the fireworks festival… I forgot about that…"

Truth be told, something like the Fireworks Festival would be perfect for getting Jet's mind away from Storm. Not to mention, the last Fireworks Festival was exceptionally fun for 12 year old Jet.

"As you all know, my dad's a pyrotechnican, so I'm going to be the one lighting the biggies up," Nezbitt bragged.

"Huh, I didn't know that," Jet commented. Suddenly, Duke spoke up.

"A-As if! I've been waiting for the Fireworks Festival! And if anyone's gunna see them up close, it's going to be me! So shut your trap, fishbreath!" He argued.

"And get yourself blown up? Sorry, I'm not collecting your pieces. You REALLY don't know how fireworks work…"

"Hey that hurts, idiot! I thought I was your friend!"

Storm sighed as he relaxed back in his seat, listening to the morning cicadas from out the window.

"The calm… the peace and tranquility…" he said.

Jet looked up at Storm, debating on whether or not he should confess everything.

 _"I don't want to risk anything… besides… Paulie's warning yesterday seems true… weird…"_ The hawk thought to himself. The albatross looked down at the worried Jet.

 _"I wonder if Jet's doing fine…"_ he thought. _"I hope so; Jet's normally someone who isn't down. I'll ask him later on… Still, even with that conflicted face of his… he's real cute."_

 _…_

 _"Whoa… whoa whoa WHOA… Am… Am I still thinking that? No… it can't be… not my friend…"_

Storm took a deep breath to calm himself down, hoping that he wouldn't panic in front of everybody.

* * *

After breakfast, the Scoutmaster confirmed the day of the Fireworks Festival.

"It'll begin at exactly seven tonight. Now, you do not need to participate if you don't want to," he explained. "However, I'm hoping to see all of you as this is a time of enjoyment. But if there's ANY reason you don't wish to attend, please tell me."

"Pff, why wouldn't anyone attend? It's once every two years!" Duke said.

"Now, this doesn't mean our normal routine will be cancelled. So, you know what to do and where to go. Dismissed!"

* * *

Several hours later, the time of the fireworks festival arrived as the sun began to set.

The girls from the girl's camp arrived and everyone spread around Camp Silver Lake with their friends, or random strangers. The male and female camp counselors passed out small little fireworks such as sparklers and bang snaps. Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx goofed off with the bang snaps, having a mini "war" with them.

"I've got you now…" Duke said, sneaking up on an unaware Nezbitt. Suddenly, a loud BANG was heard by his feet as the shark jumped, yelping.

"Gotcha!" Jet yelled, running past Duke.

Before he could go after the hawk, the cat came after Duke. Jet threw some of his bang snaps as Duke went after the two. As he ran, he passed by Storm, who was twirling sparklers in his hands, amazing some of the younger children.

Jet smiled at the sight, finding it adorable that Storm wanted to entertain children. He wondered if much like himself, Storm liked kids.

It was then that he heard a bang snap pop near him.

"Oh, you bet I'm catching up, Jet!" Duke yelled.

"Not if I can still run away!" The green avian replied.

After various rounds and even getting Storm involved in some of the action, 9 P.M. hit as the two Scoutmasters appeared next to each other.

"The grand fireworks show is about to begin! Everyone please come here for a good viewing!" The male Scoutmaster yelled.

"Oh yes, yes! So long guys, time to see a show, courtesy of me!" Nezbitt said as he ran off. Jet walked over to the shore of the lake and looked up at the sky.

However he had a thought in his head even before the show began.

 _"Maybe… maybe tonight I should tell Storm everything… We just need to find somewhere private… But first of all, where is he?"_ The hawk thought.

As the rest of the boys and girls walked towards the shore of the lake, Jet looked around and was unable to find Storm anywhere. The hawk saw Wave in the distance, who glanced for a brief second before turning around. Just then, he saw Eryx walking towards him and decided to ask him.

"Hey, Eryx. You've seen Storm anywhere?" Jet asked, getting up from the floor.

"Oh yeah, he was actually heading towards the part of the lake where we swam a few weeks ago," Eryx replied. "Said he wanted some quiet."

"Where we swam last time? Alright man, thanks."

"Wait… why are you looking for him?"

However, it was too late, Jet had already gone off. Eryx turned his head in confusion and wondered what was going on with Jet and why he needed to see Storm.

* * *

True to the blue shelled armadillo's word, Jet found Storm sitting by the lake, watching the now beginning fireworks show. The albatross turned his head and saw the hawk standing near him.

"Oh, Jet! It's a surprise to see you here," Storm said. "I thought you were gunna be with Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx."

"Well I was actually, erm… l-looking for you…" Jet replied.

"Were you? You… you wanted to spend this evening with just me?"

"Y-Y-Yeah I guess you could say…" Jet blushed as the two avians stood in silence.

"D'aw, I'm touched. Well, c'mon Jet, sit down," Storm said, breaking the silence as he patted the ground. Jet awkwardly walked over to Storm and sat down next to the hulking avian.

"Why were you alone anyway?" Jet asked.

"Eh, I prefer the peace the quiet for something like this. But… having a friend here is nice," Storm replied. "Especially if it's you."

Jet looked down at the ground, the fireworks illuminating the two. Storm still had no idea about his crush, still referring to him as "friend". His face burned even harder as the two continued to watch the fireworks show.

"The view from here is beautiful, huh?" Jet asked.

"It is. The fireworks reflecting on the water makes it better," Storm said. "Every year on Fireworks Day, my folks and I would watch the fireworks at a boardwalk near my house."

"I see fireworks a lot, what with dad being an Extreme Gear racer. They ignite them after Grand Prix's, or after any race he just happens to finish first in."

In the mists of their conversation however, Jet's heart beat rapidly. He swore he could hear it clear as day as he looked up at Storm, the large albatross still having his attention on the fireworks. He could see a joy in Storm's eye as another burst in the sky.

As Jet looked at his reflection in the water, it was clear as day that he was blushing heavily.

 _"He looks so cute right now…"_ Jet thought.

He sighed as he debating in his mind, whether he should confess everything. His chest felt like it was tied up in a knot, and butterflies filled his stomach.

 _"We're all alone… but… who knows what he'll do… who knows HOW he'll react…"_

In the midst of his monologue, the hawk was unaware that the albatross was looking at him.

 _"Jet's looks real nice tonight…"_ he thought.

Much like Jet, it was also hard for Storm to accept his crush on the green avian. However, with what happened yesterday, Storm knew he couldn't keep it hidden. It was now or never, and Storm felt the romantic tension in the air.

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed by and the fireworks show continued to rage on. More and more fireworks were ignited as the two avians could hear Nezbitt yelling from across the lake; "IGNITE MY CHILDREN! IGNITE!"

"Heh, Nezbitt's havin' a good time, wouldn't you agree?" asked Storm.

It was when the albatross noticed Jet did he stop.

"Jet?"

With a deep inhale, Jet knew that it was time to stop being silent and time to come out with everything.

"Storm… I have to talk to you… It's something important…" He said rather quickly.

"Hm? What is it?" Storm replied.

Jet looked up at Storm, and then looked down at the ground again. He inhaled once more and began his confession.

"Storm… you're a really good friend. A really really good friend. I still remember our first day meeting each other, and well… I honestly thought that if you hadn't sat down next to me during lunch that day, well… we would have never been the great friends we are now. Heck, we would have never done all those crazy things we've done here. Capture the Flag, the kayaking incident, helping you with your public speaking thing; we did so much together in this short time span…"

"Aww… I'm glad to see you're happy being friends with me," Storm said, smiling. "I'm… what's the word…"

"Happy? Glad?"

"I already said that! I don't wanna use them again!"

Jet chuckled, before looking back at the ground. "But…"

"Huh? But what?"

"Lately… I've been feeling kinda stressed… I've been doing some thinking and well… I realize I'm having feelings for someone I shouldn't have feelings for…"

"You mean… romantic feelings?"

Jet nodded. "Yeah… I should be seeing them as a friend, not as someone to date. Hell, I'm risking a lot just having a crush on them."

Storm was confused. Why was Jet talking about something like this? It was very unlikely for someone like him to do.

Unless…

"W-Well… there's nothing wrong with certain kinds of love. I'm sure whoever the person you have feelings for isn't THAT bad. Besides, sounds like you really love this person a lot. But… why are you telling me this?"

"Storm… do you promise we'll stay friends if I say what's been on my mind?"

"O-Of course, I mean I'll always be your friend."

Jet smiled softly. "That's good…"

"B-But what are you trying to imply?"

The hawk took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Storm… I know I said I'm your friend but… I've been seeing you more as a friend lately…"

Storm softly gasped as he turned to look at Jet. His blood went cold. Was he saying what the albatross thought he was about to say?

"Jet… D-Does that mean t-that…?" Storm said in a low voice, wondering if in his mind, he should confess too. Jet nodded.

"It does… Storm… I… I…"

And with one last deep breath, and no one there around the two, only three words came out of Jet's mouth.

"I love you…"

Another firework illuminated the dark shore as Storm saw Jet's face. He saw that the hawk looked very scared, most likely afraid of rejection, and how he would react.

It was a lot for Storm to process, but once he did, he realized that there were no secrets to hide anymore.

 _"It's now or never, Storm,"_

He began. "Jet… I have something to tell you too… Remember yesterday?"

"Y-Yeah… why?"

"Well… you know how I was the one who went after you when you fell out of your boat, right? Well, when I got you, and carried you all that way, I realized something…"

Storm placed his hands on Jet's face and smiled at him.

"I realized how cute you are up close…"

Jet's eyes widened as he blushed. His heart beat faster as the fireworks continued. He stuttered, hiding his face. "S-Storm… you really mean it?"

"Yeah… You know, I could have fallen in love with some other bozo here. But… you? I think my feelings made a good choice."

Storm reached out and gently turned Jet's head to face him.

"Then… then you?" Jet could his breathing get heavier by the second. Storm nodded, chuckling softly.

"Yeah… Jet, I love you too…"

With his right hand on Jet's face, Storm reached in and kissed his hawk "friend" for the first time. Jet's face grew redder as he closed his eyes, returning Storm's soft kiss. The albatross' face reddened as their lips continued to stay connected.

While this happened, a firework that made the shape of a heart exploded in the sky. Most of the boys and girls oohed and ahhed at the sight, simply seeing it as an amazing symbol.

However, it felt like a sign that Jet and Storm's new relationship had begun.

Needing to breathe, Jet was the first to let go of the kiss.

"You're a great kisser for a first timer…" Storm said, grinning.

"I-I am?" Jet asked, chuckling.

"Sure you are. Aren't you confident?"

"Oh you asshole, c'mere."

Jet kissed Storm again to silence him. He put his hand behind Storm's head as he soon let go of the kiss.

"That's what I'm gunna do."

Storm became flustered as he hugged his new love, letting Jet rest his head on his chest. After a while, he let go as the large grey avian held out his hand. "Here… why don't we return to camp? It looks like the fireworks show ended. I'm sure everyone's looking for us,"

Jet smiled as he placed his small hand on Storm's larger hand, connecting the two.

"Yeah… let's go…"

The two new lovers left the shore and returned to camp by the dirt trail, holding hands the entire way back.

* * *

When Jet and Storm returned, they could see that majority of the camp was deserted, save for a few other boys still chatting.

"Huh, looks like everyone left," Storm said.

"Uh-oh, Storm, we should stop connecting hands now!" Jet exclaimed suddenly. Storm faced him.

"Huh?"

Despite Storm's confusion, the two avains let go of their hands to avoid anyone finding out about their relationship. They could see Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx walking up to them.

 _"Just in time too…"_ Jet thought to himself.

"There you two are! We were wondering where you were!" Duke yelled. "Where were you anyway?"

Jet and Storm looked at each other as the hawk could see the albatross wink from the corner of his eye.

"Oh… someone more quiet," Storm said.

"Did you at least see my fireworks? Huh? Did ya? Did ya?!" Nezbitt asked, jumping up and down like an excited child.

"Relax Nezbitt, we did. Don't worry," Jet replied. "You did a good job, man!"

Stars filled in the cat's eyes.

"Well that's good. It was a fun time tonight," Eryx said. "But looks like we gotta head to bed now. Might wanna say good night to Storm before we head off to Cabin C."

The three walked off as the two avians stood idle. They looked around to see that pretty much everyone was gone.

"Well… we're all alone," Jet said. He turned to look at Storm as the grey avian reached down and gave a kiss to Jet's forehead.

"Night Jet… sleep tight," he said. Jet got on his tiptoes and kissed Storm's cheek.

"And the same to you."

Storm chuckled. "Heh… you know, I'm glad I met you…"

"And I'm glad you feel the same about me…"

Jet and Storm hugged as they sighed happily.

After sometime though, they knew they had to leave for their cabins.

"Remember, I love you," Jet said.

"And the same back to ya," Storm replied.

Running back to their retrospective cabins, Jet pulled off his shirt and got in bed just in time for Mido to come in and announce lights out.

Late into the night, after everyone was fast asleep. Jet couldn't sleep. Instead, he stay awoke, thinking about all the things he and Storm could do now that they're a couple.

 _"We're gonna have to stay underground though… but as long as me and him are together, nothing's gonna pull us apart,"_ he thought.

He had one last vision of him and the grey avian kissing by the shore before he fell asleep from exhaustion, falling asleep proud of his confession, and proud of his newfound love.

If anyone could see him right now, they would see a big smile on the hawk's beak.


	8. Newfound Love

**(AN: Well, here we are with another chapter! I'm actually gonna tell you guys that the next chapter is actually gonna come sooner than usual! I'll explain in a future AN but do enjoy this chapter!)**

* * *

When Jet woke up the next morning, he found himself not feeling… afraid.

Whether it came from a dream of Storm, or fear of someone finding out about his crush on the albatross, the emotion of fear simply wasn't there.

"What happened last night?" Jet lazily asked himself, holding his forehead.

Suddenly, images of everything that happened during the fireworks show flashed into the hawk's mind. His confession, Storm's confession, and Jet and Storm's first kiss. The green avian smiled as he remembered everything, bringing up his sheets to cover his blushing face.

 _"Oh yeah… that happened… It wasn't a dream…. it was reality… Storm really does love me…"_ Jet thought.

* * *

After finally convincing himself to get out of bed, Jet exited Cabin C and walked over to the Mess Hall, his daily routine since he arrived.

Entering inside, he found quite a long line waiting for the cooks to serve their breakfast. Jet groaned, realizing he was going to have to wait.

As Jet got one of the plastic plates from a stack, he saw Storm at the end of the waiting line, looking irritated as well. The green avian smiled as he walked up to the albatross, poking his shoulder. The large grey avian turned around and saw Jet. His frown turned into a smile as he crouched down to his height.

"Morning, Jet… sleep well?" Storm asked. Jet nodded in response.

"Yup, feel like a new me," Jet replied.

"Same here. I woke up remembering everything and I knew today was gonna be good,"

Jet grinned as he resisted the urges to give Storm a kiss, even if it was a small one. He knew that doing it in front of everyone would end in disaster.

Talking as they waited in line, Jet and Storm's turn finally came as the cooks served them. Buttered toast with grits and bacon were on the menu that day, along with a container of freshly squeezed orange juice.

After getting their items, Jet and Storm walked over to their usual table, sitting down and starting their breakfast as they waited for Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx.

"Say Jet," Storm said, beginning with his toast. "Do you think we should tell Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx about y'know… us being together?"

Jet shook his head as he chewed a piece of bacon. "Nope, that is a terrible idea," he said, finally swallowing his bacon. "You know how Duke is and some of the things he's said before; he would hate our guts out for this. And what makes you think he won't tell the rest of the camp? Trust me; it's best if we keep our relationship hidden."

The albatross' eyes widened. "You're right… I overlooked that…" He looked down at his food, realizing he was moments away from making a grave mistake. Jet looked around to make sure no one was watching and placed his hand on Storm's.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. You might have not known. Don't worry, no one has to know. It'll be our dirty little secret."

* * *

After eating breakfast, it was time for another kayaking day as usual.

However, Jet and Storm agreed that they weren't really in the mood to kayak, as they would rather spend the day together, just the two of them.

"Alright Storm, here's the plan: we're gonna tell Mido and your camp counselor that we really aren't feeling that well, and we'll need to skip out on today's activity. From then, they'll probably just sit us out, and that's where we make our move and high-trail outta there to the inner forest. Then…" He put his hand on Storm's. "That's where we'll spend the rest of the time. Sound like a good plan?"

Storm smirked. "I have to say, you're a good liar. You know that?"

Jet shrugged, feeling a blush on his face from Storm's compliment. "Well, project and assignment deadlines at school shaped me into QUITE a good liar."

When the scoutmaster finally dismissed them to go to their designated locations, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx walked up to Jet and Storm.

"Time for another day of kayaking. I wonder where we're headed to this time." The shark said aloud.

"Probably the same stuff as usual. But who knows? Maybe they'll… I don't know, tell us to juggle eggs while someone rows," said Nezbitt.

Jet narrowed his eyes.

 _"Time to begin Plan A."_

"I dunno, Duke… I'm not really feeling all too good today…" Jet lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He placed his arms over his stomach for more emphasis.

"Y-Yeah… I don't feel good either…" Storm moaned. He winked to Jet at the corner of his eye as Nezbitt walked up to him.

"Awh man, really? I wanted all of us to ride a boat together! And you just had to get sick somehow…" The cat complained.

"Don't worry… we'll tell Mido to sit us out so you guys can have your fun. We don't want to ruin it for you," Eryx said.

"Well… if you say so… but man, I was hoping Storm could carry us all in the boat."

Storm sputtered at Nezbitt. "Uw-uhh?! W-W-Why me?!"

"Because you're the strongest one out of everyone here. Doi," Eryx said, sticking his tongue out.

After pulling back Storm to stop him from preventing him from playfully punching Eryx, the five arrived at the sight where they were going to kayak.

"Time for Plan B," Jet whispered to Storm.

The two walked together to Mido and the Cabin D counselor, trying to put their best impression of being sick.

"M-Mido? Me and Storm aren't feeling so great right now… d'ya mind if we can skip out on today's activity?" Jet lied.

"What? You two were perfectly healthy yesterday. How did you get sick?" Mido said.

Jet knew that Mido was going to question them, and so the hawk nodded to the albatross.

"I… I dunno… me and Jet woke up today feeling not so great…"

"Well, judging from the looks on your faces, it looks like you'd throw up if you got in the boats. Alright, we'll let you pass on today's activity. However, we don't expect you to sit around doing nothing, so like, go walk in the forest or something. Get some fresh air or something. Maybe that might make your illness better."

Storm nodded. "A-Alright… will do…"

The two avians walked away from the counselors as they entered the forest. They continued walking for some time until Jet turned around and saw that Mido and the Cabin D counselor were nowhere in sight.

"Now's our chance! Let's go Storm!" He said.

Jet and Storm picked up the pace and ran deeper into the forest. Their breathing picked up as they had the fear of someone catching them.

* * *

Finding a large tree moments later, the two sat down underneath it and began to catch their breath.

"Man… we'll be in big trouble if someone… *huff huff*… found out… But it's so totally worth it…" Jet said.

"I agree *huff*… wholeheartedly…" Storm replied. He took his hand and placed it on top of Jet's. "But, that's not the case. Now, we're just here all by ourselves. No one to interrupt…."

Jet blushed as he placed his head on Storm's chest, nuzzling the white feathers. "You're so warm… have I ever said that?"

"Am I?" Storm asked. Jet noticed the flirtatious tone in his voice. The large grey avian lifted Jet's head and kissed him right there, Jet returning the kiss. The two parted ways seconds after.

"I think it's my turn for one," said the hawk. He took Storm's head and brought it to his own, roughly kissing him. Storm turned a deep red as he could feel Jet's hot breath against his mouth. Jet let go, looking rather loopy.

"W-W-Wow… you did it really r-rough, Jet…" Storm said, obviously flustered from the kiss. "I-I me-me…"

"You're speechless? Oh… I'm sorry… Do you not want me to do it again?"

"N-N-No, it's fine! If you want to, do it again, you're good. It just caught me off guard, that's all."

Jet then placed his hands on Storm's sides, climbing on top of his body. "But still, you look so cute, I couldn't help it. But I'll make them a lot softer from now on unless told so."

Storm smirked. "Well, if you say so…"

Jet gave a peck to Storm's beak and nuzzled his face. "Gosh… I'm glad we're alone finally… I'm having such a great time with just us…"

Before Jet could give another kiss to Storm, he heard a voice from above. "Just us? You know, you should pay more attention to your surroundings."

Jet and Storm quickly got up and looked behind him, then looking around at every corner.

"Who's there?!" he said. He felt a knot in his throat, worried that the mystery person saw them.

It was then that the two turned around to see a girl hanging upside down, looking at them. She was smiling.

"Peekaboo."

"W-Wave?!" Storm said with fear in his voice.

Jet squawked and then screamed as he and Storm tried to not look suspicious. The two avians felt a weight come down on the ground when Wave dropped down to the floor. She still kept the smirk on her face.

"Oh, Great One! Please tell me you didn't see anything we just did! Please!" Jet pleaded. Wave chuckled.

"Heh, of course I saw everything. I was up in the tree you know," The swallow replied. "As a matter of fact, I was in that tree, lounging around when I happened to see two familiar faces. Guess who THEY were?"

Jet and Storm looked at the ground, knowing everything was over now that she found out.

Wave continued. "You know, I could tell EVERYONE, especially after what happened with the Capture the Flag game, and ruin your reputation..."

Jet and Storm looked at her with complete fear and anger in their eyes.

"…but you two are just so cute together, I can't get myself to tell anyone."

The hawk and albatross looked up at Wave in confusion.

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you being serious?!" Jet asked. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

"Of course! And you aren't. You know, I kinda thought there was something going on between you two because of how you acted all buddy-buddy around to each other. Capture the Flag, and that time Storm carried you through the lake."

"You… saw us at the lake?" Storm asked.

"Yeah, I was doing something for my camp when I happened to see you. I would have never imagined Storm would be carrying someone, I've never seen him do that before. But when I saw you two, I knew there was SOMETHING different between you two. Looks like I'm right."

"B-But… I thought you hated us! Me especially! I thought you would use this against us in some way!" Storm said. Wave looked cross as she pointed a finger at the large grey avian.

"Hey, I can be rude to you, Storm, but there's a limit as to how far I go. And ruining someone's relationship, and knowing your camp, your LIFE, I do not go."

Jet was surprised. He didn't expect Wave to be the type of person who doesn't go far with her insults and rumors.

"Well, this is kind of surprising. I'm surprised you're being nice to us for a change…" Jet said.

"Well, I guess you could say I kind of warmed up to you, I've gotten over the Capture the Flag thing after some time, which is... kinda surprising to be honest. And like I said, you two are perfect for each other, I can't tell on someone like you."

"But… what did you mean when you said 'knowing our camp'? Is there something up with Camp Silver Lake?"

Suddenly, Wave lowered her head a little bit. "You two have been keeping low profile with your relationship, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Storm nodded his head.

"Good. You two should be really careful with your relationship. I don't think you know, but Camp Silver Lake is INFAMOUS for not letting LGBT kids enter in at ALL, mainly due to your Scoutmaster's religious views. Not to mention, everyone else there seems to be raised by some REALLY conservative parents. So if someone finds out, the worst slurs could be thrown at you."

Jet looked stunned. "What?! I didn't even know that! That's not fair!"

"Believe it, Jet. Err… that's your name right?"

"Yeah, it's Jet."

"Thanks. As I was saying, believe it, Jet. Our Scoutmaster has been trying to persuade your Scoutmaster into letting LGBT kids join. Just a few years ago, our Scoutmaster started letting lesbian and bisexual girls into camp, and last year she let transgender girls enter."

"I can't believe our Scoutmaster…" Storm said.

"Yeah, that rule is really stupid. It could be worse though…"

"Worse?" Jet asked.

"I have a friend here, her name is Cherry. You met her during the Capture the Flag game. Her brother is bi, but happened to go to Camp Silver Lake. Well, it just so happened that he had a secret relationship with a guy there, and they were caught. As punishment, they were blindfolded and shamed before the Scoutmaster banned them from ever returning. To this day, it's something that still keeps him up at night according to her."

Jet and Storm's jaw dropped. "S-So, the Scoutmaster did nothing?!" The hawk said.

"He didn't participate, the kids did that. When he found out, he shamed them privately, and banned them like I said. Had it not been for her parents almost pressing charges, the kids there would do it over and over again."

Now the two avians were scared. Was… this what would happen to them if the kids found out? One thing was for sure, Jet was even MORE adamant in keeping his and Storm's relationship low.

"I'm scared…" Jet commented, rubbing his feathers.

"Don't worry, I am too… but… we'll make sure that doesn't happen to us," Storm replied, placing a comforting hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"You have NOTHING to be scared about as long as no one knows. But hey, don't worry you two; I'll keep your relationship a secret at all costs. I promise," Wave commented. She held out her pinkie finger as Jet and Storm knew what to do. The three connected their pinkies, letting them know that everything that had happened here was all a secret that only the three would know.

"So, what are you two even doing here in the first place? Don't you do activities or something?" Wave asked.

"Well… we were but…"

Jet then explained everything to Wave, who laughed once the story was done.

"Wow, faking sick in order to spend time together. You little delinquents," The swallow said.

"What about you? What's your story?" Storm asked.

"Well, same thing really. We were doing something but I got bored and decided to play a little hooky."

"Then looks like you're also a delinquent like us," Jet chuckled. "You've got no excuse then."

Wave winked in response.

"Heh… you know, it would be funny…. if one day all three of us got lived when we're older. We'd be three birds living together," Storm said.

"Well, probably only me since you two will probably be in your rooms, sucking face all day." Wave teased. Jet and Storm turned away from embarrassment in response.

"By the by, what time is it? We don't want to make our counselors suspicious," Jet asked.

"The time? Hm… let me check…" The swallow said. She pulled out a phone from a pouch on her waist, Jet and Storm looked as she opened it.

"You smuggled a cell phone here?" Jet asked in awe.

"Yeah. I wasn't really planning on bringing my phone here, but mom's ALWAYS worrying about me."

Jet looked down at the ground, remembering his own mother.

His attention was brought back to Wave, who held out her phone.

"It's currently almost one right now. Usually we eat around this time. Is that the same for you?"

"Oh, uh yeah! We probably should be heading out right now!" Jet said to Storm, the albatross nodding in response. However, just before the two avians could high trail out of the forest, Wave stopped them for a moment.

"Hang on guys… I know you might be a little suspicious that I'm acting nice to you, and that I'm going to backstab you or something. No, don't worry; your secret is safe with me. Yeah, I know I'm repeating myself at this point but… I'm serious. I promise I won't tell anyone what happened, nor will I tell anyone that we played hooky," The swallow said. She gave Jet and Storm a thumbs up as the two returned it.

"And hey, we won't tell anyone else you brought your phone, too!" Jet replied. Wave nodded as the three avians left the forest, Jet and Storm going to the left and Wave to the right.

* * *

"Wow… she's… nice…" Storm mused.

"I always knew there was a nice side to her," Jet added. "Looks like we finally got to see it firsthand."

When the two avians returned to the where all the boys where, they could see Mido and the Cabin D counselor looking around. They saw a jaguar point towards Jet and Storm's direction as the two counselors turned around, walking up to the two avians.

"There you two are! Where have you been?!" Mido snapped.

Making up a lie really quickly, Jet put on a face of extreme guilt to trick the Cabin C counselor. "Well… we walked around a bit, but… we got lost…"

"Y-Yeah!" Storm added. "W-We didn't mean anything! Honest!"

"Well, at least we found you just a few minutes before lunch. If I had these kids complaining that they were hungry, I was going to chop your heads and cook what's left of you two for Thanksgiving dinner."

Jet and Storm laughed nervously as they shook their hands. "Heh heh, no thanks. We don't want to die." They said together.

"Then let's go back to camp and feed your faces. I'm sure everyone ELSE wants to eat too."

* * *

After lunch, Jet and Storm decided to not use the lie again and claim they were feeling a bit better for kayaking this time.

After fooling around with Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx for some time (Storm finally carrying the boat like Nezbitt wanted him to), the sun finally set down on Camp Silver Lake as all the boys returned back to the Mess Hall for dinner.

Once dinner was over, all the boys were let out around the camp until bedtime. Jet and Storm decided to lie down near the a few feet from the outhouses, where no one was around.

"Tell me, Jet. What do you want in the future?" Storm asked.

"I never saw you as the philosophical type, Storm," Jet replied.

"Answer the question…"

"Alright, alright. Well… I know I'm gonna take control of the Babylon Rogues in the future, and of course, you're coming with me too… To be honest…. I see no future without you."

Storm smiled as he turned around to face the hawk. "Really?"

"Yeah…. you know, I think…. I was born to meet you, Storm…"

"If that's the case… I'm glad you're here with me…"

Storm sighed. "If I can be honest, I… used to be kind of a bully as a kid. A huge one at that. But… after an experience in Middle School… I wanted to change. I've been making myself into a better person, and and… it's working too. I just… sometimes kinda wish I had someone to spend the future with."

He then smiled. "Fortunately, I'm looking at him right here."

Jet grinned. "Storm… lovers or not, I'm glad I know you."

"And I am too…"

The two continued to look at the stars.

"Storm?"

"Yeah, Jet?"

"Love you…"

Storm's cheeks grew slightly red.

"Same here…"


	9. A Wild Attack

**(AN: Well, this is rather surprising! A new chapter in 3 days instead of 5 days! That's because something came up and I wanna get this chapter out early before it happens. I'll explain in an AN tomorrow but for now, enjoy this... actually somewhat drama filled and sad chapter!**

 **Don't worry, Jet and Storm aren't breaking up lol**

 **Also fun fact: this and the next chapter were never apart of the original story. I added these to make the story a bit longer. Just thought I'd add it there. And speaking of which, after this chapter, there's only two chapters left! Yeah, I know. I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far!)**

* * *

Surprisingly, Jet and Storm managed to keep their relationship a secret in the days since the Fireworks show and since they encountered Wave. Often, they snuck out during lunch or dinner, occasionally after dark, and sometimes during activities.

It was risky trying to love one another around people with bigoted mindsets, but, as Jet said; "What they don't know, won't hurt us."

It was nearing toward the end of July, meaning that there was less than 3 weeks before summer camp was over. Unfortunately, this was bad news for Jet and Storm.

"What am I gonna do when you're gone?" Storm asked one day during breakfast.

"We'll see each other someday," Jet replied. "Though… I'm gonna miss you a lot."

"Same…"

There was a moment of silence before the hawk spoke up.

"Let's get off the subject of rather sad topics. Besides, we aren't leaving for a while. We have all the time in the world."

"Yeah, I agree. Uh… I got a letter from my parents. Heh heh, although they said that this was the first one they sent because they weren't sure if they could send letters."

"Oh… how amazing…"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… it's just… my dad never writes to me while I'm at camp. I'm a… little jealous to say the least."

The albatross looked sadly at his boyfriend. "Is your dad nice?"

"Oh, yeah, of course he is. It's just… he kinda has his own things to do and… yeah…"

Jet's father was always the type to be busy. Especially since his mother died, the green avian's father hadn't been as prevalent in his life. He didn't dislike him because of that, as the times father and son spent together were always fun, but he wished that he would be around more.

"I'm… sorry, Jet. I know you wanna hang around your dad more, and hey, he seems like a cool guy," Storm said. Jet sighed.

"Yeah… don't worry, I know he'll wanna be around me more… that is, if only I knew how he'd react to the whole 'I'm gay and I have a boyfriend' thing."

Jet looked out the window. "Man, I'm such a bundle of negativity this morning, aren't I?"

Storm chuckled as the hawk grinned. What was just a simple joke made the two avians giggle like school children.

* * *

"Man, only three more weeks and we're outta this dump!" Duke said as he pulled the string of the plastic bow he held.

The boys of Cabin C and D did another switch of activities, this time, they were doing archery.

Jet didn't call himself the best archer. His cousin, Bow the Sparrow on the other hand, was a master at using a bow and arrow.

 _"If only he were here now…"_ Jet thought to himself, trying to get the arrow to hit the target a few feet away from him. He pulled back on the string, and as expected, the arrow didn't even reach the target.

"Ugh…" Jet handed the bow to Storm before going back in line. Duke was in front of him, whistling.

"Anyway, Duke, on what you were saying earlier," Jet said. "You wanna leave this place?"

"Yeah! I mean, sure it's fun, but after a while, you just wanna go home. I'm simply here because my folks think I 'don't spend enough time outside'. Like, wow, as if I DON'T play football everyday with my group of friends!" The shark replies. "But NOPE! Oh well, at least you, Storm, Nezbitt, Eryx, and whatever things happen here make it worth it."

"You really think that me and Storm have done a lot?"

"Sure you two have! You've made this year… you've made this year exciting, I'll give you that. It's like… you two were destined to meet one another and cause huge antics."

Before Jet could respond, he heard Storm complain loudly.

"Oh come on! I pulled the string back too hard!" The albatross whined. Jet ran up to his boyfriend and looked up.

"What's wrong, Storm?"

"I pulled the string too hard and now the arrows in the dang forest!"

It was cute to Jet that even through gritted teeth, Storm complained like a child.

"Don't worry, I'll help you find it," Jet said. "Hey, Mido! One of the arrows was lost in the forest! Me and Storm'll find it!"

The two avians ran to the forest as Mido called out behind them. "W-Wait!"

It was too late however, as Jet and Storm finally reached the forest, and began to look around for any sign of the missing arrow. The hawk went one way, and the albatross another.

"Find anything yet?" called out Storm.

"Nope," replied Jet.

It was then that the albatross saw something red in a tree. When he examined it closer, he saw that it was the missing arrow!

Storm grabbed the arrow, and was about to head out when he heard it.

Growling.

Turning, Storm saw a wild creature, on four legs and looking straight at him.

"Uh… good boy?"

Just then, the creature attacked Storm. He yelped as he was brought down to the floor. Due to his strength, he was able to fight off the creature, but was getting hurt regardless. Jet turned around to see what was going on, and his face fell.

"STORM!" he yelled, running to his boyfriend. He had seen too many shows about people being mauled by wild creatures, and he didn't want Storm to become dinner for anybody.

Grabbing a stick nearby, he held it tightly in front of him. Despite having a weapon, Jet found himself shaking like he did when he watched scary movies.

 _"You're not scared, Jet… you're not scared…"_ Jet tried to assure himself. _"Y_ o _u can do this… you can help Storm…'_

"Hey! Peas for brains!"

The creature stopped attacking Storm as it looked up at him. It then began to rush up towards Jet before the hawk swung his stick. While not hitting it, this intimidated the creature, and it set off; whimpering and running away.

The hawk ran up to Storm, immediately looking for his wound.

"'S-STORM! Are you okay?!"

Storm nodded. "It's just a scratch…"

What the albatross didn't seem too concerned about turned out to be nightmare fuel for Jet. A large scratch covered Storm's belly, which was bleeding.

"H-How hard did this thing hurt you?!" Jet yelled, tears now forming in his eyes.

"It's not too bad-"

"YES IT IS! We need to get you help, fast!"

Jet hiccuped multiple times as he sobbed. Seeing Storm like… THIS made his heart stop. He got Storm up from the ground and took off his shirt, wrapping it around where the wound was.

"Here, press down on it!" The green avian said. "We need to get to Mido!"

The two began to move, not fast to the point where Storm's wound would hurt him, but enough to let them get to the counselor faster.

When they arrived to the vicinity where everyone was, the boys of Cabin C and D turned to face the two avians as Mido and the Cabin D counselor's jaw dropped.

"Oh holy Great One…" Mido muttered before running off to Jet and Storm.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" The Cabin C counselor yelled.

"A-Attacked! He was attacked by something in the forest!" Jet replied.

"And why were you in the forest?" asked the Cabin D counselor.

"Getting back this arr-ow ow ow…" Storm said, pushing harder on his wound as he weakly held out the arrow.

"Damn… then the gangadiddles are coming back…"

"Gangadiddles?" asked Jet.

"Wild animals that come and prowl around this forest… Strangely, they come around the winter, not summer…"

"Are the woods safe then?"

"They are. It's just some areas have high populations of gangadiddles then others. Camp Silver Lake has none fortunately."

"And on the topic of Camp…" The Cabin D counselor said. "Let's go to doc, he'll fix this. C'mon you…"

The counselor put Storm's arm over his shoulder as he walked with him to the doctor of Camp Silver Lake. Jet ran after the two.

"Wait! Hold on!" he yelled.

"Jet!" Mido said. He sighed as he fixed his hat. "Damn kid…"

Eryx, Duke, and Nezbitt looked at each other. "Well, c'mon! We're friends of Storm, aren't we?" asked the shark.

"Duke's right! Let's go!" said the blue shelled armadillo. The three ran off as Mido yelled for them to come back. Much like with Jet though, he didn't bother giving chase to the three boys.

* * *

Jet, Duke, Nezbitt, and Eryx waited outside the doctor's office for news on Storm. While everyone was nervous, neither the shark, cat, nor armadillo were as nervous as the hawk. His leg bounced up and down repeatedly as he tapped his fingers on the wooden bench quickly. His breathing became short, and he felt like collapsing.

"Jet… are you alright yourself?" Eryx asked.

"Y-YEAH I'M GOOD, NEVER BETTER!" Jet quickly said in response. Eryx shrugged in response.

Just then, the door opened.

"Are you kids here for Storm?"

Doctor Quackiverous N. Gerald, or as he was more known, Doctor Quack, was the doctor for Camp Silver Lake. He had a large following in the medical field, but retired a few years ago. Since then, he decided to work at the camp, which he himself went to as a child.

Jet, Eryx, Duke, and Nezbitt got up and nodded.

Dr. Quack smiled. "Your friend is going to be okay. I stitched him up so he should be good. All he needs is a little rest, and he should be good by tomorrow."

The four sighed. "So, can we see him?" asked Duke.

"Err… well, he requested he see one 'Jet the Hawk'… Judging by your appearance, green avian next to the shark, I assume you are him?" Dr. Quack adjusted his glasses. The hawk walked up to the doctor as the three looked upset.

"Oh c'mon, I wanna see if Storm is okay!" Nezbitt whined.

"I'm sure you do, however, you should return to your activities after all. Just take my word for it that he's going to be okay under my care."

The three groaned as they left the room. "He's in the room ahead. Go on," Dr. Quack said. Jet walked up to the door as the doctor went back into his main office. The green avian turned the knob as he opened the door.

"Storm?" Jet called out.

"J-Jet? Jet, is that you?" Storm said. Jet's heart spun as he saw the albatross. He ran up and hugged his boyfriend.

"You're… you're okay! You're okay!" The hawk said. Storm smiled down at him and patted his head.

"I told ya, I'll be fine. It'll take more than a simple scratch to bring me down," The albatross replied.

"S-So… you don't care that you were attacked by a wild gangadiddle?"

"Not realty. Wouldn't have been the FIRST time I got scratched by something…"

"So… you've gotten scratched before?"

"Yeah. If you can believe me, I got attacked once when I was a kid. Heh, you think I'd learned my lesson…"

Jet however, hung his head.

"Hm? Jet… what's wrong?" The large grey avian asked.

"It's just… I can't help but feel like it's my fault…"

"It's not your fault…" Storm placed his hand on Jet's.

"I… I… I shouldn't have strayed away from you in the forest… This wouldn't have happened if I only wasn't so stupid…"

Storm looked sadly at Jet. He kissed him on the forehead, and gently held his face.

"Hey, I told you I'm gonna be fine. Promise. Next thing you know tomorrow, I'm going to be all right, and good as I was before. Now… let's turn that frown upside down."

The albatross placed his fingers into Jet's mouth and extended it, making a 'smile'.

"There we go!"

Jet smiled, this time for real.

* * *

Despite Storm's claims of being alright, Jet stayed by his boyfriend the entire day, under the claims that he 'didn't want him to be lonely'.

Not many people came to visit Storm, so having company was good. Especially if said company was the albatross' significant other.

"Jet? You probably should go and get some dinner," Storm said around sunset, eating things that Jet had brought back from the Mess Hall. The hawk signaled a 'no' with his hands.

"Oh don't worry, I'm good," he replied.

"You really should have something to eat though…."

"I'm serious, I'm good."

Storm shrugged.

 _"Whatever floats his boat…"_ he thought.

While Jet's stomach growled multiple times throughout the night, he didn't want to leave Storm's side.

 _"I don't even remember the last time I went this long without food…"_ The hawk thought to himself. _"But I'm not gonna let my hunger get to me…"_

* * *

Later that night, the doctor came in to check on Storm for a brief moment.

Jet however, was hidden under his desk. He knew if he got caught, he would be sent back to Cabin C.

The doctor left and closed the door as Jet got up from the desk.

"That was a close call," Jet sighed, placing his hand on his chest.

"Shouldn't you go back to Cabin C?" Storm asked. "You should get some rest. You're not gonna stay up all night you know…"

Unexpected to Storm, Jet got onto the large grey avian's bed and lay down right next to him.

"Nah… I think I'm gonna sleep here tonight…"

Storm's face grew slightly red. He never fell asleep with somebody by him.

"U-U-Uh, I, well, uh…" The albatross stammered, playing with his fingers.

Jet grinned as he cuddled up next to his boyfriend. "Don't worry, no one should find us here. Just relax, and know that I'm here."

Storm nodded as he gently wrapped his arms around Jet's feathery back, pulling him closer. Jet nuzzled against Storm's plumage as the other looked down.

"Night, Jet…" he said, kissing his forehead.

"Night to you too. Love ya," Jet responded, looking up at him.

The two avian's soon fell asleep with each other in their arms, not a single care in the world for anyone who could stumble upon them.


	10. After Hours

**(AN: Hey everybody! I'm back from New York! Meaning that I am back to writing! YAYYY**

 **I have a longer version of everything I wanna see in the latest story for Memoirs of Mobius U, so just check it out there lol**

 **BUT ANYWAY**

 **This chapter is a bit special, and dedicated to our reviewers! See, I've gotten two requests from people asking to see Jet and Storm skinny dip. Now, I've never written that as a part of the final story, but when I saw those, I thought that it was a perfect idea! So yes, you have your wish: Jet and Storm will skinny dip this chapter.  
**

 **So, with that out of the way, let's get on with the show!)**

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS THE USE OF A HOMOPHOBIC SLUR, PROCEED WITH CAUTION

* * *

It was late night at Camp Silver Lake, and everyone where in their beds sleeping. Every boy had their eyes closed and their chests rising, resting themselves for the next day.

All except Jet, who lay wide awake. He got up from his covers and looked around, seeing that every boy in Cabin C was asleep. Quietly, he moved to the edge of the bed and climbed off from it, grabbing his shoes and his shirt as he quietly tiptoed through the dead silent Cabin C.

The sudden snore from Capricorn caused the hawk to freeze up, feathers poofing up.

 _"That was FAR too close…"_ The green avian muttered to himself.

Quickly but quietly nearing towards the exit of the Cabin, Jet opened the door and slid right through the crack.

Sitting on the steps, he placed his shirt on, and then his red and black boots, and made his way to the forest.

 _"Storm said he wanted to have an intimate moment tonight, which is why he wanted me to sneak out after dark and into the forest,"_ Jet thought, reflecting the situation. _"I'm sure no one will find us…"_

The hawk turned his head around one last time, before darting off into the forest.

* * *

Storm sat by a large tree, tapping his fingers onto the bark.

 _"I wonder what's taking Jet so long?"_ he thought. _"I sure hope he didn't get caught…"_

The crunching of leaves caught Storm's attention as he got up, worried if it was someone realizing the albatross was out of bed. Fortunately, it was Jet.

"Hey, I'm here," The green avian said, giving him a smooch on the cheek.

"That's good, now we can finally have the night all to ourselves."

Storm sat down by the tree as Jet sat next to him. The two connected hands as Jet laid his head on the large grey avian's arm, sighing happily.

"It's so nice to finally do something like this… Having to do stuff like this underground isn't that easy…" Jet mused.

"Agreed," replied Storm.

The two looked up at the stars, each of them shining brightly in the night sky.

"My mom always told me that every star was special. It represented something, or someone we cared or desired for. She always told me I was the brightest star in her life, and I said the same thing too…" Jet began.

"Aww… that's cute…"

"Yeah… although… the stars grew brighter when the angels took her…"

"The angels took her?"

Jet simply looked down, not saying anything.

It took a second, but Storm understood what he meant. In that moment, Storm wrapped him arms tightly around Jet, not wanting to let go.

"I'm… sorry…"

"It's okay… it still kinda shakes me up, but… I've gotten over it…"

"I didn't know-…"

"I don't really like to talk about it. Dad didn't fare much better either when she died."

"Is that why he didn't race for three months a long time ago?"

"That's why…"

Storm looked away from Jet. As someone who had both parents alive, he could only wonder how the hawk grew up after his mom's death.

"My dad took care of me solo after that. From then on, most of his Extreme Gear winnings, thieving heists, the money he got from that went to raising me. He didn't want to spoil me, but wanted me to grow up happy, wanted me to have a smile on my face even with my mom dead. I… I respect him for that, working hard for me… Sometimes I think that's what my mom wanted him to do."

Jet reached towards the side of his boot and opened a secret compartment. He pulled out a photo.

"No matter how much dad gave me, I still always remembered mom. I always keep this picture of me always. Dad gave it to me as a way to remind myself of her."

Storm looked over his shoulder to see the contents of the photo. Two green hawks, a male with a scar over his beak, a red bandana on his arm, and a burgundy vest, and a female wearing a white shirt and yellow pants, stood next to a smaller hawk, who was smiling. By them was a birthday cake with the number '5' on it.

"Heh, the day of my 5th birthday. I'll never forget it," Jet said.

"Aww… look at lil' baby Jet…" Storm said, pointing at the young version of the hawk. Jet chuckled.

"Those were some good times…"

Jet laid back across the ground, going 'oof' as he did.

"You know, even though I never went through something you did, I… did have some problems growing up…"

"Really?" Jet sat back up. "Was it the bully stuff?"

"No…" Storm said. He then took a breath. "Well… I wasn't the brightest kid growing up. Still aren't to this day, and well, my school got worried, and they tried to put me on pills. I say tried because I refused to take them. Not even my parents approved of it. Just because I'm big and dumb doesn't mean I need to be treated bad…"

The albatross looked away as Jet hugged his arm. "You aren't dumb. You're a smart guy from what I've seen. Honest."

"You… you mean it?"

"Yeah," Jet nodded.

Storm stuttered as his face grew red. "W-Well, I uh…. uh…"

He then kissed Jet right there, turning away from him only seconds later.

"Sorry just… I still kinda believe that I'm not smart…" Storm said.

"You are, Storm. Don't let anything from your past hinder you," Jet replied. The large grey avian turned back to face Jet, who was smiling up at him.

"Funny... we both went through our own things growing up…" He mused. "I really do think life intended for us to meet."

"Yeah… like, I wanna be by your side forever…"

"Heh heh, what, are you saying we should get married tomorrow?"

"Heck yeah, why not?"

The two chuckled.

"Listen listen," Storm said. "We'll have an all green and grey theme, and this'll take place on the Babylon Rogues airship, most important part. And our cake'll be Extreme Gear themed, and who knows? Maybe we can invite Wave too!"

"You put in a lot of effort into thinking about something that may or may not even happen. What's next, our kids?

"Actually, yeah! We'll have hawk and albatross hybrid twins," Storm placed his hands together. "I'll take care of the boy, and you'll take care of the girl."

"Now we've decided on the gender-Oh Storm, you're killing me," Jet chuckled. "Lemme guess, their names?"

"Hmm… you know, I didn't think about that…"

"Maybe you'll think of kid names another day. Fortunately, I happen to like kids a lot, so I should be good in coming up with a name and raising them well."

"I… used to not like kids that much. But, I like 'em more than I did back then."

"When mom died, that sparked my love for kids. I wanted all of them to feel loved, none of them to go through the pain of losing a parent, or worse, both."

Storm turned his head to look at Jet. "That's pretty deep. You have a lot of dreams, Jet."

"Dad told me to always dream back. So, there's my explanation."

The two continued to look up at the stars. Jet rolled closer to Storm, cuddling with him.

"Did you ever imagine this happening, Jet?" The albatross asked suddenly.

"What happening?" replied the hawk.

"Everything that's happened at camp so far."

Jet placed his finger on his lips before opening his mouth. "Truth be told, I didn't expect meeting you, let alone dating you. But… I'm glad I did. This camping trip has been the best one I've had, and I'm glad you're here to spend it with me."

"Aww… I'm touched."

Storm pulled Jet closer to him.

"Mmm… can we just… stay here all night?" The green avian mumbled, tiredness in his voice.

"If we could, but someone would find us…"

"IF we could, but everything that's happened so far, I wanna relieve it again."

There was another pause of silence before Jet spoke again.

"Do you think that eventually we should tell everyone that we're dating? I mean, you won't be able to come after 17…"

"Still not a good idea. I'm sure you wanna come back here next summer, right?

"I mean, yeah, I guess…"

"They'll surely remember it. And that's talking about the kids. Who know what the Scoutmaster could do…"

"Scoutmaster, fafmaster, same thing. Like I'm scared of some ol' Scoutmaster. I should show him me and you kissing if that can shut him up."

Storm laughed. "It'll be fun in the moment, but you'll be kicked out."

"Exactly. In the moment is just what I need."

The two chuckled again as they cuddled closer.

"Man… already we've been dating for a month and our relationship has shown me that this summer is the best summer of my life…" Jet said, placing his head on Storm's chest. The albatross put his hand on Jet's as he kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, I never really thought about dating too much. But… you've shown me that being in love isn't that bad."

Jet chuckled as he climbed on top of the albatross, kissing him once again as he lay across Storm's chest.

"Say, I've got an idea," Storm said.

"Hm?" Jet replied.

"Wanna skinny dip?"

The hawk didn't understand what he meant at first. But he suddenly remembered: skinny dipping meant being in the water with someone… completely naked.

"U-Uhh… I, I mean!" Jet sputtered out.

"Never done it before?" Storm replied.

"Nope, never have."

"It's my first time too. Don't worry, it'll be fun."

"Well… okay. But can we go someplace farther away from camp?"

* * *

The two avians went to the very edge of the lake, almost heading towards the girls camp. Both the hawk and albatross' clothes were on the floor, leaving a naked Jet and Storm swimming in the lake.

Jet didn't know what to make of the situation. What he did know was that… this felt rather nice.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Jet's waist. Squawking, he saw that it was Storm.

"Surprised to see me, eh?"

Jet blushed softly and then nodded.

"Good…"

Storm placed his head on the green avian's shoulder, wet feathers colliding. Jet shivered.

"It's cold, man…" he said, putting his arms around his naked frame.

"Wanna warm up?" The large grey avian asked.

"Huh?"

Storm took the two towards the shore, the albatross having his back towards the edge of the water. Jet got on top of Storm's lap, feeling what felt like his-

The hawk's eyes widened.

 _"Oh Great One, that's what I think it is on my thigh,"_ Jet thought to himself. Surely this wouldn't lead to… sex, would it?

"Feeling warmer now?" Storm asked.

"Y-Yeah…"

Jet wrapped his arms around Storm's neck as he slowly inched towards the large grey avian's beak. He closed his eyes and slowly kissed Storm, feeling him rub his large hands up and down his feathery back.

However, unbeknownst to the kissing birds, a group of boys, no older then sixteen and no younger than ten, were walking by the nearby trees, taking a small late night walk.

"And so I tell her; "You dumbass! You women aren't good for anything!" said one of the boys, a lizard with a haircut that went over his eyes. His group of friends laughed at the obvious sexist story. Suddenly, the youngest one, a yellow rabbit, saw green and grey near the lake.

"Hey guys look! There's someone there!" he said. Everyone went to the bushes and moved the leaves out of the way. "Let's play a prank of them!"

As the boys took a look closer, their eyes widened in shock at the sight before them.

"Oh… oh my god… Is that… Jet and Storm?!" the lizard said in a whisper.

"Yeah… it is. I can't believe it… they're… I can't even say it… Why them?!" said another boy of the group, a brown duck, as they watched Storm give another kiss to Jet.

The two undid from their kiss as Storm seemed to say something to Jet. The smaller avian nodded and the two began to start swimming. It was then that everyone noticed their clothes on the grass.

The lizard started to chuckle.

"Heh heh heh… well now… this is going to be an interesting story to tell everyone back at camp in the morning. C'mon guys, I think we show these queens what happens when you're a faggot, join Camp Silver Lake, and we find out!"

The group left the trail, going as quietly as possible, and headed back to camp.

* * *

 **(AN 2: I normally don't have AN's at the end of chapters, but I think this will be an exception!**

 **So Jet and Storm have been caught! What will happen to them? From all the stories Wave told, to the words said by the unnamed lizard, it's only a mystery to the fate of Jet and Storm!**

 **Next time on Camp Silver Lake, the dramatic finale!)**


	11. I'll See You Again (Finale)

**(AN: Well here we are! The last chapter of Camp Silver Lake! And a long one! As usual like the end of my stories, I'll have an AN at the end of this chapter, but I'll leave you to it. But first... something super important and real talk time:**

 _ **THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A COPIOUS, AND I MEAN COPIOUS AMOUNT OF HOMOPHOBIC SLURS. SPEAKING TO YOU AS A GAY MALE PERSONALLY, I DO NOT ADVOCATE THE USAGE OF THE WORDS YOU'LL SEE IN THIS CHAPTER. THEY ARE VERY VERY NOT GOOD WORDS.**_

 _ **I have them here to show the issues with homophobia, with not only in society, but from my own personal experiences as an LGBT individual. So yeah, for those who are offended by such words, now will be the time to turn back. Trust me, I didn't like writing them, but I had to.**_

* * *

When Jet awoke the next morning, he yawned as he rubbed his eyes, rising up from his bed. After his night with Storm, cuddling then skinny dipping, he felt quite good.

However, as he looked around Cabin C, something about the atmosphere felt… off…

Not a single boy was in the Cabin, which wasn't the first time that has happened, but something about it made Jet feel uneasy.

"Huh? Is… is anyone here?" Jet asked aloud. He looked around, and much to his surprise, no one truly was there. He knew there was no point in asking if no one was around, but he only did it as a safety measure.

Jet put on his signature red boots and walked out of Cabin C. The next thing the hawk noticed was that no one was outside. Usually, at least some of the campers would be outside, conversing or playing around. But today, not a single person was in sight.

 _"What's going on?"_ Jet thought to himself. _"Did everyone leave somewhere and forgot about me? …No… that can't be it… I would know if we were going somewhere… but maybe I forgot…"_

Many theories as to why Camp Silver Lake seemed deserted flowed through the green avian's mind.

"Maybe I can try to find Storm… he might know…"

The hawk walked over to Cabin D, but as soon as he saw the door, he stopped.

There were all kinds of items barricading the door.

"Storm?" Jet said, knocking on the door. "Storm, wake up!"

No matter what he did, it seemed like the albatross couldn't hear him.

Just then, an orange was thrown at his feet. Jet looked at it, picked it up, and stared at it. He looked around to see where it came from. It was there that he saw a boy looking out from the door of the Mess Hall, who shut the door as soon as he and Jet connected eyes.

"What the hell is going on?"

He walked to the front of the Mess Hall and looked at it.

 _"This should be my place to get answers,"_ He thought.

Jet opened the door to the Mess Hall, and entered inside. To his surprise, he saw that every boy in the camp was sitting down at the Mess Hall. The strange thing was, normally the Mess Hall was filled with banter in the morning. This time however, everyone was completely silent today. All eyes lay on Jet as he walked in.

The hawk turned his head and saw that some of the boys started getting what seemed to be scowls and mean looks on their faces. He heard some of them whisper as he grabbed his plate.

 _"There he is…"_

 _"Why is he kissin' Storm? And skinny dipping too?! Some queen he is…"_

 _"Heh, looks like I got a queer to beat up."_

 _"He doesn't deserve to be here if he swings that way."_

 _"And to think I respected this guy…"_

Jet bit his lip as he felt a sweat drop fall down his face. He didn't know why everyone seemed to be looking and even talking about him.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed a milk carton and got his breakfast.

"At least the food ladies aren't silent…" Jet muttered to himself. As he walked towards his usual table. Duke had his hands behind his head as he lay his feet on the table, Nezbitt sat with his arms crossed, the same scowl on the other boy's faces, and Eryx sat silently, looking gloomily at Jet.

Before Jet could sit down, the shark stopped him.

"Don't even bother sitting here, Jet," he said.

"H-Huh? What do you mean?" The green avian replied.

"Don't try to play dumb with me, you know what you did."

"What did I do?!"

"You know."

"Look, I don't know what's going! What did I even do?! Tell me, Duke!"

Duke opened his eyes and got up, angrily looking at the intimidated Jet.

"You wanna know that badly? Fine, I'll tell you; I heard from some boys today that last night down by the lake, you were kissing Storm like some fag. And not to mention, you were skinny dipping at the same time too. Sound familiar now?"

In that moment, Jet's entire world crashed.

His eyes widened intensely as he dropped his breakfast on the floor. He put his hands on one of the tables. His face fell as he bit the bottom of his beak, shaking.

 _"N-N-No… this… this can't be happening! They saw us! Who saw us?!"_ Jet thought. He took deep breaths as he began to panic frantically.

"Yeah that's right! Ya heard yer friend! Yer nothin' but a little faggot!" yelled one of the Cabin D boy's, a brown beaver.

"You're goin' straight to hell, boy!" yelled another person, a blue ox.

"The Great One is gonna purge you!"

"You don't look or act like them fruity faggots I see, so why you?!"

Jet stumbled to the middle of the room, seeing and hearing all the boys now starting to throw insults at him. Some of them even threw their breakfasts at him ( _"Get that faggot!"_ He heard someone yell). Jet whisked some of them away as the words pained into his heart.

 _"This isn't happening… this isn't happening…"_

Jet felt close to breaking down in front of everyone. He grabbed his arms and pulled on his feathers, ripping out the smaller ones.

That was, until he heard a gruff voice behind him.

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH JET?!"

Jet's eyes opened and he turned around to see Storm.

"STORM!"

The whole room quieted down as Storm's large figure came into the Mess Hall.

"Well well, if it isn't the faggot's knight in shining armor. How the hell did you get out from our barricade?" Capricorn said.

"Barricade?" asked Jet.

"Yeah, barricade. Thank the Great One that tub of lard is a huge sleeper. We were able to lock him in his room and get him later. I'm glad to see BOTH of you are here now!"

"So yeah! Too bad Storm, we already know!" said the beaver. Storm angrily looked around.

"None of you… are not going to touch Jet… at all… What do you even THINK you're doing just even doing this to him?!" he threatened, putting up his fists. Duke laughed.

"Oh yeah? Just you two against all of us? Face it, you two! Now that we know you're little secret, none of us want you here anymore! You're simply plaguing the world with your gayness by simply doing something small as breathing!"

"Anything other than being heterosexual is nothing more than a disease! That's what you two are!" Nezbitt yelled. "I bet you even wanna molest the Cabin A boys!"

Eryx looked at Nezbitt, while he wanted to say something against the slurs and insults everyone was using and to come to Jet and Storm's defense, he didn't want to be yelled at by his peers. So he shut his mouth and had no choice but to watch his friends being tormented.

"Yeah! My pastor tells me all gays molest little boys!" said a boy from Cabin B, who looked no older than 12. "So that's what you wanna do!"

Storm touched Jet's chest, pushing him slightly back.

"I say we get them! Give them everything you got guys!" Duke said, climbing on one of the tables.

Everyone started to throw their breakfast's at the two avians, chanting: "GET ON OUTTA HERE, FAGGOT!"

Even some the Cabin A and B boys, who still didn't understand what was going on, started chanting along and threw their breakfast as Jet and Storm, mainly due to the fact everyone else was doing so.

Storm held Jet close as the albatross shielded him from majority of the food thrown. The hawk broke down, tears streaming down his face as he tried to calm down, but just couldn't. Just as his world started to get dark, Jet and Storm heard a female's voice behind them.

"HEY!"

The room grew silent as Jet and Storm turned around.

"Wave?!" The two avians sputtered. Wave was standing by the doorway.

 _"She looks angrier then I ever made her…"_ Storm mused to himself.

"Aww, look at this. The faggots got a little girly girl for their defense. How cute. Of course you two would associate with girls," teased a Cabin C member, a green hedgehog. He threw an orange at the purple swallow.

However, just before it could hit her, Wave grabbed the orange midair and threw it right back at the boy's face, knocking him to the ground. The other boys gasped as she walked passed the two avians.

"What the hell is going on here? What's this about 'faggots and the such?" The swallow questioned. "ANSWER ME YOU ASSHOLES!"

"What's going on? I'll tell you what: these two faggots are a thing, and we can't have that here," Duke said. Wave jumped in shock as her eyes widened. Her fists tightened up.

"How… How dare you all… You all must have no heart if you think attacking someone because they're gay is OK!" Wave said in the most serious voice Jet and Storm ever heard her in.

"Pff, who are you to tell us what's wrong?" said a blue-green eagle. The purple swallow turned to face him. "We're putting these faggots in their pla-"

Just as he was saying that, Wave walked up to him and slapped him.

"SHUT UP! I WASN'T FINISHED!" The purple swallow snapped, pointing her finger at him. The eagle stuttered as he stepped back.

"You all say that Jet and Storm are nothing but "abominations" just because they like the same gender. Well, you're wrong. ALL OF YOU! I've seen their relationship up close, and let me tell you, they have a better and more loving relationship then I bet any single ONE of you will ever have!"

Wave started to move around the Mess Hall, staring at each and every boy, continuing her rant. The only noise made was the sound of Wave's voice.

"Don't you get it? I don't know what kind of nonsense your parents have been feeding you, but let me say this: Love has no boundaries when it comes to gender! It's perfectly OK for a guy to like another guy, or a girl to like a girl like it is a guy to like a girl."

The swallow stood on top of a table. "Every single one of us is all unique in our own ways. Just because someone is different doesn't mean you should belittle them because of it, something none of you have seemed to have learned yet. What I've been trying to say is: just because Jet and Storm are different, doesn't mean it gives you the RIGHT to want to call them slurs, or to throw your food at them. Not at all!"

The Mess Hall was entirely silent as Wave stepped off from the table. She turned to Jet and Storm and gave them a thumbs up. The two avians smiled in response, and Jet felt himself calming down.

"Y'know what? She's right…" said one of the boys.

"I am? Heh, told you."

But then, the boy started to crack a smile. "She's taken this moment to show us how much of a dumbass she is!"

All the boys began to laugh at her as the swallow became flustered. She took a few steps back to stand next to Jet and Storm, looking around the Mess Hall.

"Ha ha ha! Look at you three! A trio of bird freaks!" One boy mocked.

"Two faggots and a huge ass bitch who thinks she can boss us around! Ha ha ha! I'm c-cracking up! I bet she's a dyke too!"

Jet's eyes widened more. What he felt was going to be Wave helping him and Storm get a break only turned to be far worse than either of them thought. Sure enough, his breaking point finally reached.

"I… I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Jet screamed. He took himself out of Storm's embrace and ran out of the Mess Hall, tears streaming down his face harder than before. Storm stuttered and turned around.

"J-Jet! No wait!" he said. The albatross ran after Jet as Wave saw what was going on.

"Jet! Storm! Come back here!" she yelled, following after the two male avians. The boys continued to laugh as the three ran.

"Yeah that's right! Run away faggots! We don't want you here!" one said.

"The less queers here the better!"

* * *

Jet ran deep into the forest as he felt himself coming closer and closer to wanting to pass out. He fell down onto the ground and took deep breaths, seeing stars. He pulled his legs up to his face and began to loudly sob. The hawk buried his face in his arms as his body began to shake heavily.

After nearly a minute of crying, Jet heard various footsteps behind him and turned his head around, seeing Storm and Wave run up to him.

"J-Jet…" Storm said, taking in a few short breaths. "Jet… it's over now… they're all gone…"

"S-Storm…" Jet cried. "Storm, I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to lose you…"

The large grey avian walked up to the hawk and picked him up, hugging him tightly. Jet continued to cry.

"Jet… I promise that with all my life, you won't lose me, even after this. This showed me that everyone at this camp is nothing but pure hatred…"

Jet returned the hug. "Don't worry; cry as much as you want, as long as you want… I'm here for you…" Storm said.

The hawk nodded as he stained Storm's t-shirt with hot tears. He then looked at Wave, and sniffed. "I-I guess you deserve something too… right? You did come to our defense after all…"

"It was the only thing to do. Thank goodness my scoutmaster told me to deliver something to your camp today, who knows WHAT would have happened if I wasn't here… It'd be like what happened to Cherry's brother all over again."

"You k-know, when I first met you, Wave… I thought you were a really mean person. Now? I'm glad I have a friend like you…"

Wave smiled. "Anytime, Jet."

Jet looked at the ground then gasped, feeling his anxiety ramp up as he had a sudden thought. "O-Oh god… I didn't even think about that…" He covered his mouth with his hand.

"Think about what?"

"M-My dad… Storm, they're going to tell our parents! Why didn't I even think about that?!"

"Shh shh… Jet, it's alright…" Storm said.

"No it isn't, Storm!" Jet yelled at his boyfriend. "I don't even know how my dad's going to react, but knowing him, he's going to kill me!"

The green avian dropped back to the ground, looking down at the ground. "I just don't even care anymore… My life is already over… I want nothing more than to die..."

Storm looked at Jet before picking him up, looking at him straight in the eye.

"Jet... Your life is not over, and don't say things like that. Just because someone found out about you being gay doesn't mean that's it, it's over. Oh no, you're Jet the Hawk, the son of Turbulence the Hawk, and you're going to be future leader of the Babylon Rogues. You've done so much here at this camp to be saying your life is over, when you've done so many great and impressive things here. You are someone who is talented beyond what most people have, and that's what I saw in you, why I became interested in you… because… you're you… You DESERVE to live."

The hawk winced. "Are you mad at me?..."

"No, I'm mad for you. You're not alone. You have ME, and you have Wave. We're here for you."

The swallow crossed her arms and nodded. "Yeah, don't think that what happened at your Mess Hall doesn't mean that you give up. There's so much to do that you haven't done. And hey, the Jet I know would suck it up and teach those blowjobs a lesson!"

Jet laughed at the word Wave used. "A blowjob? Seriously?"

Wave smirked. "Hey, just trying to lighten up the mood."

The hawk looked up at Storm, already feeling himself getting calmer. "So … You both really mean it?"

"Yes, We mean it. And… that's why I love you…"

Jet stared at his boyfriend for a few moments before kissing Storm. Wave smiled at the cute sight until she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw four camp counselors, most likely the counselors of Camp Silver Lake.

"Jet the Hawk and Storm the Albatross?" said Mido.

Jet and Storm parted from their kiss as they looked at the counselors of Cabin A, B, C, and D.

"The Scoutmaster wants to see you both."

A chill ran through Jet's spine as his feathers rose up. The counselors walked away as the two avians looked at each other.

"Well… this is it…" Jet said.

"Don't worry you two; I'll come along with you as well," Wave said. Jet looked at the purple swallow.

"Really? I mean… you don't have too…"

"I'm going to. I have to support you both, because who knows what your scoutmaster wants to do with you."

"I…" Jet looked at the ground, smiling softly. "Thanks Wave…"

"No problem, anything to help out friends."

The three avians walked away from the forest as Jet started a little conversation to ease his anxiety.

"So, with what one of the guys in the Mess Hall said about us three… do you think we'd all work great as a team?" The hawk said.

"Hm…. who knows…" replied Wave, her hands behind her head. "Maybe time will tell."

"I think we'd work great! Jet, do you think we should invit-"

"Storm…"

"Oh… sorry..."

* * *

When Jet, Storm, and Wave arrived at the campsite, they walked to the Scoutmaster's office, ignoring the glares they were receiving from the other boys. Some of them even spit on the ground near them. They found the camp counselors standing by the Scoutmaster's office.

"He's through these doors," said the Cabin B counselors. "Well? What are you two fruity idiots waiting for? Someone to say 'there's nothing wrong with you two'? GO!"

Jet and Storm entered inside the Scoutmaster's office as Wave followed behind them, however before she could go through the door, Mido stopped her.

"No can do, girly. The scoutmaster only wanted to meet Jet and Storm, not you. Wait out here for your little gay friends," The lynx said. Wave resisted the urge to punch him in the face as she scoffed and stomped her foot on the ground, waiting by the door.

* * *

Inside the Scoutmaster's office, Jet and Storm sat on two chairs as the Scoutmaster looked at them with extreme disapproval.

"I don't want to believe what I have been told from the other boys, but it seems I have to," The lion said. "I am… DISGUSTED, with the both of you. You two seemed like such good kids, children of the Great One… and then I find out you're… _gay_."

Jet and Storm simply did nothing, the words coming out of the Scoutmaster's mouth sounding like poison.

"You know our rules here at Camp Silver Lake: only those who feel accepted by the Great One are accepted here. The Great One disapproves of fags such as yourselves, and you two WILL, be punished."

Jet looked at the desk as Storm said not a single word.

"Both of you… pack up your things right now. You two are hereby banned from Camp Silver Lake from now on until you two have cleansed the sins you have committed. You are going to be leaving this camp, and you will not come back."

"B-Banned?" Jet stuttered.

"Yes, banned. NOW! PACK!"

Jet simply looked at the Scoutmaster, an angry look forming on his face. "Tch, fine. Like I care."

"Excuse me young man?! Did you talk back to me?!"

"You sure as hell I did."

The Scoutmaster slammed his hands on his table. "WHAT KIND OF DAMN TONE IS THAT?! YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME YOU LITTLE PUNK?!"

"At least I actually care about other people than having to follow the words of some stupid book!"

"ARE YOU TALKING BAD ABOUT THE GREAT ONE! HE WILL PURGE YOU AND YOUR LITTLE FAGGOT PARTNER!"

The hawk reached his snapping point.

He slammed his hands on the Scoutmaster's table and yelled at the top of his lungs. "LIKE I CARE WHAT YOU AND THE REST OF YOU BIGOTS THINK ABOUT ME AND STORM! I PERSONALLY… COULDN'T GIVE A **SHIT** ABOUT THIS CAMP ANYMORE! NOW THAT I'VE SEEN YOUR TRUE SELVES UP CLOSE, I NEVER WANT TO COME BACK AND SEE THE REST OF YOU TERRIBLE PEOPLE AGAIN!"

"Jet!" Storm said, shocked at how… explosive the green avian was. He would admit 100%, Jet had… quite the temper when provoked.

"IT'S THIS KIND OF REASON WHY I MADE THIS CAMP, TO FREE YOU ALL FROM SIN. BUT YOU… YOU'LL NEVER ESCAPE IT, BOY!"

"OH YEAH?! MAYBE YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT THE WORDS YOU SAID WHEN YOU HAD AN AFFAIR WITH THE SCOUTMASTER OF THE GIRL'S CAMP! I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU CHEATING ON YOUR OWN DAMN WIFE WHO'S TOO MUCH OF A BLOKE TO REALIZE THAT HER HUSBAND IS THE BIGGEST PRICK EVER!"

The Scoutmaster jumped back. The room was silent for a minute before he spoke up. "Y-YOU LITTLE WORM! HOW… HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!"

The lion and the hawk stared at each other, eyes like daggers.

"I have my sources. Scoutmaster. My dad would slap me if I said this word, but… **fuck** you. Come on Storm, let's pack and get outta this shithole. To hell with this place!"

"U-Uh… right!"

Jet and Storm stood up from their seats as they walked out of the office. When they returned back outside, they walked up to Wave. Jet sighed from his outburst.

"What happened guys?" she asked. Judging from their reactions, it was not good.

"The Scoutmaster tells us we're leaving here right now… and that we have to pack our stuff…" Storm said.

Wave softly gasped. "Oh… oh no… That's awful…"

"Tch, I sure don't give a shit," Jet said, crossing his arms.

The swallow was caught off guard by Jet's attitude. "Jet? Are you okay?"

"I exploded on him."

"You WHAT?!"

"Yeah, in a nutshell, I yelled at him, and told him to go fuck himself pretty much."

"Wow… that's kind of badass… Still, you guys are really leaving?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, it's OK… it's better to get out of this toxic nightmare then to continue staying here,"

Suddenly, Wave saw a figure running towards the three, and turned to face them. Jet took note and turned around, where he saw a familiar armadillo with a blue shell.

"Eryx?" Jet asked as Eryx walked up to him, Storm, and Wave. "What are you doing here? I though you decided to be like everyone else-Wait, don't tell me. Here to torment us more?"

"No! No no no! I'm not like them. I'm not a homophobe. I know how gay people are, and they aren't like what THOSE people make them out to be. I don't agree at all what Duke and the others said back in the Mess Hall. I'm here to check up on you… see if you and Storm are doing okay," Eryx said. "Good thing I managed to sneak out of the Mess Hall while everyone was tormenting you guys."

The hawk felt… touched. Besides Wave, Eryx was the only person to give them support. "Wow… it's… so nice to have SOMEONE at that camp with rational thinking."

"Huh, I know right. Duke's been this way for YEARS, and I haven't been all peachy keen about it. But anyway… why are you at the Scoutmaster's office? Did he yell at you? You can tell me everything."

"Thanks Eryx…. but… we were just told by the scoutmaster that we're leaving right now."

Eryx looked surprised. "Leaving? Leaving where?" he asked.

"Home. He's banning us from here until we "cleanse the sins of our ways". Tch, not like it matters, I never want to come back here anyway."

Jet looked at the doorstep of the Scoutmaster's office and then spit on it, proceeding to stomp on it with his boot.

"Scum that Scoutmaster… I'm going to pack…"

"Me too…" Storm said.

An angered Jet and a saddened Storm walked away from each other as they packed their belongings in the retrospective cabins.

* * *

Many time passed before the bus to home arrived. Jet and Storm picked up their duffle bags as they looked at each other, then at Wave and Eryx, the only two who had decided to say goodbye to the two avians.

"This… This might be the last time we see each other Storm…" Jet said somberly. He had cooled down from his explosion, and felt sad at the thought of losing Storm. "I want to let you know that I love you, a lot."

"I love you too a lot as well Jet, from the bottom of my heart." The albatross replied. "But, don't say "the last time". Because I promise you, one day…"

Storm took his right pinkie and connecting it with Jet's, placing his hand on the young hawk's chest.

"I'll see you again."

Jet looked up at Storm and nodded before a thought came to him.

"Do you have a phone?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, course I do. Are… you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jet nodded happily. "Give me your phone number; I want to call you over the summer. Who here has a pen?"

Given a pen by the blue shelled armadillo, Storm scribbled his phone number on Jet's arm as Wave grabbed the pen.

"I guess I'll give you mine too, best we start keeping in touch." she said. She scribbled her own number onto another part of Jet's arm as she gave the pen to Eryx.

"Oh what the hey, I guess you can get my number too," he said. Eryx wrote down his phone number on Jet's arm just as the bus came to a complete stop. Jet and Storm looked at each other before hugging.

"Are you two homos done? Because we need to make sure you're here," Mido said, standing by the bus. Jet and Storm parted from the hug as they walked towards the bus. They saw the Scoutmaster on the first seat to the left.

"Listen here you two," he said, pointing to them. "You're NOT going to be sitting next to each other. Storm, you sit right there in the seat next to me. And Jet, you seat on the last seat on either the left or right. Do you understand?"

The two avians nodded. "Yes sir," they said in unison, Jet sarcastically saying it however.

Storm sat down in his seat as Jet walked all the way to the back. The scoutmaster nodded to the bus driver as he started the bus up. Wave and Eryx watched as the bus began to slowly pick up speed and then leave Camp Silver Lake, taking Jet and Storm for good.

* * *

Jet laid his head on the window and sighed. The bus was now driving through the more rural parts of Mobius, knowing full and well he was close to his own house. The hawk only hoped that his father wasn't going to explode once he saw him.

After a few minutes of driving, the bus entered a neighborhood of small homes and stopped in front of a yellow home, a large green hawk that looked similar to Jet standing outside of it, arms crossed. Chills went up Jet's spine as he grabbed his bag, walking up the aisle of the bus.

Before he got off however, he turned around and looked at Storm for one brief moment. The albatross had the same look that Jet had as he finally got off the bus, the bus speeding away in reverse then out of the neighborhood to where Storm lived.

Jet, with a look of guilt on his face looked up at his father, Turbulence, and walked up to him.

It felt so strange. When he unleashed his rage on the Scoutmaster, he felt powerful. Now, he felt like the weakest being alive, facing his father.

"Jet. Your scoutmaster told me everything on the phone just about an hour ago, you exploding on him and everything else-" Turbulence began.

"Save it dad…" Jet interrupted. "I already feel awful about everything that's happened today… I don't want you to hate me more then I bet you already do… all just because I'm… gay…" He replied gloomily. The hawk began to shake as he already felt the tears coming out. He hung his head as his father continued to look at him, feeling like Turbulence's eyes burned into him.

However, in one brief moment, he walked over and hugged his son.

"Jet… I could NEVER hate you, NEVER. Just because you're gay doesn't change who you are. You're my son, and I'll always love you."

Jet looked up at Turbulence as he felt his eyes stinging yet again.

"D-Do you mean it?" he asked.

"Yes I do, Jet. From the bottom of my heart."

Jet returned the hug as he smiled, tears of happiness rolling down his face.

"Jet, I want you to listen to me. Do you understand?" Turbulence asked. The hawk nodded. The larger hawk took a deep breath.

"When you were born, hatched from your egg, I made a promise to your mother that I would care for you for as long as I live. We both thought you were the most important thing in our life. We loved you more then we loved each other. Hours before she died in the hospital, I made her a new promise; that I would protect you for as long as I lived. I'm not going to let your mother down. No matter what, know that you'll always be the most important thing in my life."

"Dad…" Jet buried his face into his father's shoulder. Turbulence softly smiled as he rubbed his son's back, soothing him.

"You were the thing that let me continue living each day after she died… As long as I knew you were okay, things would be alright."

Now Jet cried harder. Turbulence continued to comfort his son.

"Hey, why don't I get your mind off of everything that happened today? How about I treat you to ice cream at Chulpa's?"

Jet instantly looked up upon hearing the name. "You mean it?!" He said with a hint of excitement in his voice, sniffing as he rubbed his red, puffy eyes.

"Yup. I'll even let you get whatever you want."

The hawk had a large grin on his face. "Awh man, dad! You're the best!"

"Heh heh, anything to make you feel better, Jet. You always have your good ol' dad. Now, how about you change out of those clothes?"

Jet nodded then entered inside of the house, ridding of his camp attire as he came out in his normal clotheless self. Father and Son began to walk from their house into the city.

"So tell me son," Turbulence began. "Who's this boyfriend of yours?"

"Oh yeah! His name is Storm!" Jet excitedly replied.

"Storm huh? Sounds like an interesting name. What's he like?"

"Oh man dad! Storm's the greatest! First of all, he's-"

And for the rest of the walk, Jet told his father everything about the albatross.

* * *

 **EPILOUGE**

The next day, Jet had phoned Storm, who was excited to hear his voice even if only a day had passed. The two formed a long distance relationship as they spent afternoons on the phone.

Along with phoning Storm, Jet had phoned Wave, who had quickly responded. She had said that she was actually beginning to miss Jet and Storm's presence at Camp Silver Lake, saying that "Something was off without you two here, causing mischief."

Jet had also phoned Eryx, who was happy to hear he was doing better. Jet asked the blue shelled armadillo about how everyone else at Camp Silver Lake was doing, and the answer he got wasn't the most pleasing.

"They're all happy you and Storm are gone. What did they say? Oh yeah… 'Finally, no more faggots at this camp'."

Jet had quickly set aside the situation, saying that he's happier at home then at the camp.

Just before summer break ended, Jet had asked his father if Storm could potentially come over one day. Turbulence agreed to it, and on a weekend, Storm came over on his Extreme Gear. The hawk had introduced the albatross to his father, who was fangirling over him. Many Extreme Gear races were held between Jet and Storm, along with various displays of affection that weekend.

Jet and Storm's relationship even continued into the various years of school, with the two keeping in touch with Wave and Eryx. When the hawk was eighteen and finally finished school, his father inaugurated him as a part of his team, the Babylon Rogues.

Once he became the official leader, Jet had made Storm to be a part of the team like he promised many years ago, the albatross becoming the Rogues' muscle. They had also decided to make Wave a part of the team as well, upon her learning that the symbol of the Rogues on her arms was not a strange birthmark like she had believed.

Jet reflected when she began a part of the team: "Man, how did I not even see that?!"

With the leader Jet, the brains Wave, and the muscle Storm, what the various boys at Camp Silver Lake said about the three avians being a 'trio of bird freaks' came true, however, it was a trio that three enjoyed being.

Even into their time in the Babylon Rogues, Jet and Storm's relationship continued, and became more loving as time went on. When Jet had felt the time was ready, and only a year and a half after the new Babylon Rogues started, the hawk proposed to the albatross after the Rogues had won the Extreme Gear GP of the season. While incredibly flustered at first, especially in front of a large crowd, his anxiety turned into major excitement, and Storm had said yes. Jet hugged Storm, and the two shared a passionate kiss as Wave happily watched as her teammates… no… her friends' proposal.

Just a few months later, Jet and Storm held their wedding at the ship of the Babylon Rogues. The two had made Wave the maid of honor and Eryx the best man (interestingly enough, Eryx told Jet and Storm that he had asked if Duke and Nezbitt wanted to come, but it seems that they still held their grudge against them), as well as inviting their parents. The two avians celebrated a bountiful wedding; the cheers loud as Jet and Storm made their vows and kissed.

After their wedding, the Babylon Rogues continued to impress audiences all across Mobius with their performances on Extreme Gear. They continued to enter races and Grand Prix's, strengthening the bond of the three.

Things only got better for Jet and Storm as a few years later, they had adopted a set of unnamed, newborn twins. The boy, named Tempest, and the girl, Gale, were named after their families tradition (Jet's naming them after the wind and Storm's after storms), and were loved by the two avians, as well as Wave, extensively.

The night after a championship that the Rogues had won, Jet and Storm got in bed together after putting Gale and Tempest to bed, the albatross wrapping his arms around the hawk.

"We did such a good job today," Storm sleepily said, kissing his husband's cheek.

"Yup, let's keep it that way," Jet had replied. He kissed Storm's beak.

"Gale said she wanted to go somewhere to eat for breakfast tomorrow…"

"Let's do it then, I could use a big breakfast in the morning."

"Ha ha… you spoil that kid…"

"She's my little princess…"

"OUR…"

"Yeah, ya know what I mean…"

The two tiredly giggled.

"Love you Storm…" he said

"Love you even more…" Storm replied. The two avians pulled the covers over them as Storm fell asleep. Jet heard his snoring and smiled at him. He never expected his life to be as great as it was, but here he was.

It felt like the most generic happily ever after ending for Jet. Marrying the love of your life, kids, etc, it seemed like something out of a fairy tale. But… that wasn't an issue for the hawk. With the life he had now, he wouldn't trade it for anything else.

And to think, that it was that day in summer camp many years ago that would eventually change his future, where he would make great friends with Storm, and most importantly, where he would meet his future love.

* * *

 **(AN 2: YYYYYYeah I wasn't kidding when I said this story was cheesy in Chapter 1 XD**

 **Anyway, I'm glad you all enjoyed Camp Silver Lake! This was actually my first attempt at writing a multichaptered story with a plot two years ago, and I think it was this start that lead me down the path of other stories.**

 **Thanks to everyone who's followed, favorited, and left reviews! I really appropriate it so much! Again, thanks to doodle-kitty-cat for the cover for this story. Without it, I think it wouldn't have made this story stand out!**

 **So what's in the future?**

 **Right now, I'm still updating Memoirs of Mobius U, a ministory oriented fic about one of my previous fanfictions, Transfer. So go check that out!**

 **And as for any future Jetorm stories?**

 **I haven't thought of any in the moment. However, when the time comes... there'll be a new story.**

 **This is TheHunterPersian, signing off for now...)**


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